Shakespeare in love
by VesperChan
Summary: Sakura is the timid girl in the back of the classrom, that happens to have a deep love for Shakespeare. She didn't know that in her new high school it would get her this much attention with the guys. Sakura many
1. Macbeth

**Disclaimer**:/ I am sad to say, that I do not own the anime/manga/videogame/wonder-ness know as Naruto, and I do not own Macbeth...or anything else written by that wonderful man that lived in England so many years ago. (You _should_ know this by now)

**AN**:/I know! I should be working on my other stories and updateing Ecstasy like you people want me to, but I'm waiting on my laptop to be fixed, since it has another 9 to 10 chapters already written, and I don't want to mess up the plot line. This little piece of art if for you, so that you don't come hunting me to kill me while I sleep. It's not much, but I feel as if I have to get _something_ out, this week. Please enjoy, even if you do not like Macbeth.

**AN**2: Feel free to point out any guys you want to see Sakura with in the upcoming chapters

**Dedication:/**_2Cut32B3Tru3..._ For letting me use this killer idea of a Shikamaru Sakura chapter she had in her story _Campus Love_

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Macbeth

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'Tis strange:

And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,

The instruments of darkness tell us truths,

Win us with honest trifles, to betray's

In deepest consequence.

Banquo, scene iii

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"I'm so glad Kiba bombed out on his third try today! He's never going to be able to say anything to Sakura chan. Did you see the look on the guy's face when he tried to return her book? Ah well, that leaves more of a chance for me to ask her out," Naruto chuckled rubbing the back of his head as he and his friend, Shikamaru walked through the halls of the school.

"Tch, I don't see what's so good about girls in general, let along this Sakura one. You two go on and on about her, it's so troublesome," the other male sighed with a bored look on his face.

"You're just a bore, dude. Ever since Sakura chan transferred here two months ago, there has been nothing else on my mind, aside from ramen, and I could not be a happier man. You never seem to be happy, you know. Maybe you should obsess over something."

"Do you want to know how stupid that just sounded, Naruto?"

"No."

"...You live the sheltered life. Man it's such a drag talking to you, why do I bother?"

"Because I help you when there are bullies around?"

"..."

"Yup, I thought so."

"...Ugh. So troublesome."

"You just can't like Sakura chan, only her."

"I do not like Haruno Sakura."

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It wasn't as clear as she would have wanted it, but the smudged numbers written in blue ink on her left palm were still readable, and therefore, still useful. Being caught with a bright idea and no paper was a trouble the bright young girl found herself suffering more often than she should. Being a lyrics writer for herself was one of Sakura's greatest pleasures in life, too bad it was also one of her greatest secrets.

The paper deprived high school student was short for her age, but thankfully very fit, thanks to activates like Dance Dance Revolution that could be played by herself, in the comfort of her own home. Aside from that, she used to take dace and several self defense courses.

A pair of thin wire glasses were pushed up the bridge of her noose with the back of her hand, before her messy pink locks were pushed behind an ear. She had tried to put her hair up in a pony tail, but had failed at making it look neat and opted for a messy bun that was thankfully still secure. The sleeves of her faded yellow turtleneck fell over her hands once again, but this time Sakura didn't have the heart, nor mind, to push them up and walk away from her locker in ripped jeans and a pair of cherry red converse high-tops.

A pair of girl walked past Sakura chatting happily about their plans for the weekend not noticing the girl who had turned away, in hopes of not being noticed. Aside from being a paperless lyrics writer, Sakura was a fearfully shy person who had a kind hear, locked away in fear of letting it get hurt. She did, however, have a more stubborn side that came out when she was stressed and saw something she had a low tolerance for. Such as animal abuse. Don't even look at a squirrel wrong with her around.

Classes were over for the day, and she had her black and gray shoulder bag ready and waiting with it's inhumanly weighted textbooks that should not weight so much for one semester. Thanks to Kiba, she had all her required books. It's funny how that boy acts around her, he can never get a straight sentence out, to save his life. He was on of the people Sakura didn't mind, because she knew he wouldn't bother her. Heck, he could hardly look at her, let alone tease her.

The halls were steadily emptying out, with it's students racing to distance themselves as much as possible from the dreaded institute of learning things they didn't want to know. Sakura was one of the slow stranglers that was always found in the back. Staying up late, she comes to class with tired eyes and a yawn stuck in her throat almost everyday. Sometimes she wished she could fall asleep forever, just like the famous fairy tale about a stunning princess who slumbered for 100 years. But reality always seemed to come back and bite her in the butt. Never too good of a thing for a growing girl.

A preppy looking girl with flashy looking cloths and perfect nails 'accidentally' bumped into Sakura, making all her books fall out of her bag and onto the floor. Mumbling an apology for being in her way, Sakura go on her hands and knees and began to pick up her books.

A Paris Hilton look alike who was walking with the first girl smirked and regrettably had to place the heel of her stiletto on top of Sakura's hand to balance herself. The abused girl squeaked in pain, but did nothing to anger the girls that could ruin anyone's life with a text message and a creative rumor.

"Sorry to have been in your way, Ino san, Karin san," Sakura mumbled meekly in embarrassment.

"See that it doesn't happen again, forhead girl,"Ino sneered with a icy glare.

Karin only chuckled, following her friend around the corner and out of hearing range.

"I hate those girl, if I could I'd show them the backside of my fist," Sakura growled, instantly switching moods behind the backs of the two evil fiends who had earlier harmed her hand and pride.

Trying to pick up Shakespeare's Macbeth, her hand throbbed, making her stop and use her other hand to avoid provoking it. "Well, maybe I could just kick them. Stupid jerks," she mumbled, noticing the condition of her hand."Oh great, now it started bleeding! Just perfect!"

When she was younger, the girl with eyes the color of green sea glass would cry a lot. Even over the smallest of things that hurt her, she would shed endless tears over it. Later, she learned to bounce back from these things and roll on with life. Insteed of crying over such things, she would grow angry and bottle up her rage. However, that rage needed to be released every now and then. And the way she was going, it needed to be released soon.

"Ah, great! They made me mess up the lyrics on my hand!"

Real soon.

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I have no spur

To prick the sides of my intent, but only

Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself

And falls on the other.

Macbeth, scene vii

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"I told you guys to leave me alone and go find someone else to bother. Gosh, you guys are such a drag," Shikamaru commented in a tired, lazy voice with half lidded eyes, trying to keep his cool. Naruto wasn't around to defend him and Kiba had run home after his, what was it, eight failed attempt to talk to the pink haired girl, who's name he could not remember.

"By that history test is coming up and it's a really bit percent of our final grade. I don't want to fail and I don't think you me or Aoi to fail either, do you?" a junior in a green and black football jacket with the 'will of fire' emblem sewn onto the shoulder. Behind him was a similarly dressed male with limp black hair sporting a blue tint to it. Both looked more like jocks and bullies, rather than history students.

"I already told you two, I'm not going to help you cheat on the History test. You can go study on your own and pass like the rest of us students," the lazy male who would rather be sleep or cloud watching replied, feeling a little anxious without either of his friends to help bail him out of this mess.

"We can't be wasting out time studying when there's a big game coming up. We need to spend out time practicing and getting ready to trump Suna," the one named Aoi sneered.

"I don't care, now leave me alone," Shikamaru stated, once again, taking a steep back.

To bad the two didn't see things his way since one of the grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him back onto the ground, effectively making the boy sprain his wrist. It was a good thing he was a fast healer, because he would need it in the weeks to come.

"I don't think it's going to go that way, dude."

"Nah, it's either our way...or...well, you'll find out."

Shikamaru backed up a few feet, still upon the school's not so clean floor, as the two jocks began to advance upon him with evil intentions in their eyes. It didn't take a boy genius to see that. The GO lover really began to panic though it only was displayed slightly upon his face, he wanted to at least look calm and cool when they were beating him up. Yeah, good luck with that.

"You shouldn't be doing that."

Thee pairs of heads turned to see the timid pink haired girl from the back of the classroom holding her book bag in a weird way and a disgusted frown stretched across her lips. She had, had enough of being pushed around for one day and needed to let her inner demons out to relieve the stress.

More or less, sh just needed someone to beat up and not feel sorry about it.

"Run off, nothings happening here," said Aoi, looking annoyed at her sudden appearance.

Sakura shivered a bit under his stare, but regained courage when she remembered the anger that was overflowing from her event with Ino and Karin earlier. "I'm not going anywhere. You should stop picking on him before you two get in trouble."

"Oh, are you going to tell on us? Sorry, but we would be on you before you had a chance to yell. Now get out of here before we decide to hurt you as well," answered the one that had provoked Shikamaru in the first place.

Sakura did nothing to run away or retreat from her position, instead she tossed her book bag to the side and fell into a defensive position, ready to fight. She was way to angry at everything happening all around her to think completely logically. If she could, she would have saved herself the effort, but she didn't. "I don't think so..."

Aoi and his friend seemed really annoyed at being challenged by a girl from one grade below. Thus, they abandoned all reason and began to run at her. Sakura was ready for them, and with a flick of her wrist she had one and the throat and the other at the end of her kick, sending him into the lockers,, then the floor. Aoi looked at his fallen friend and tried to swing at Sakura, who easily ducked and jabbed at him in the gut, sending him to the floor as well. Aoi tried to stand again, but Sakura's heel came down on his neck, holding him down.

"I think you should leave," she stated in a dark tone as half of her bangs fell to cover one whole side of her face in a dark haunting way, minius the discarded glasses. It more than intimidated Aoi who took off running, forgetting about his moaning friend who was not that far behind him, despite the heavy limp in his left leg and the bruises on his chest.

With the adrenalin slowing down inside her, Sakura began to notice the awe struck boy, still on the floor, starting at her as if she just grew another head. She gasped, flushing red in embarrassment before muttering a handful of apologies before picking up her bad and running off, trying to ignore the pain in her bleeding hand.

Shikamaru was used to being threatened by bullies, but his friends were usually always there to back him up and defend him if anything ever got serious. There had only been one or two times in his life where he had gotten hurt by intimidating bullies, and they were nothing to brag about. Thinking he was going to really get hurt this time, scared the crap out of him, plus some.

Thankfully a pink haired student in cherry red converse and ripped up jeans came in and saved him like a guardian angel would have. Maybe that was what she was, a guardian angel. She surly looked like and angel without the glasses and her hair flying loose around her face. She was a totally different person from the timid bookworm at the back of the classroom that never looked up, and he didn't mean that in a bad way. It was a good and well received change.

Awkwardly climbing to his feet, the smart bullied boy took note of the girl's absence and grumbled when he remembered how she ran out on him. He had wanted to thank her for risking her butt all for his sake, she surly deserved it. He didn't even know her and she stepped up to two bigger stronger third years and kicked their butts like a pro kick boxer. He had no idea a book warm could pack such a punch, or a kick.

He reddened a bit at the though of being protected by a _troublesome_ girl. It was a bit degrading, but he did not mind as long as he came out in one piece.

"Where did she go?" he asked himself aloud, but found her no where in sight.

Deciding to skip out on his after school crap session, the lazy boy began to make his way up to the roof where he liked to sleep and watch clouds. A few times when there were no clouds present, he had read Shakespeare and Homer. He like the plays rather than the ancient poetry.

He was kind of known as the lazy genius, never studying for tests or quizzes, yet managing to pass with flying colors. That didn't help his grade however, since he had a habit of falling asleep before the test even began, resulting in a zero. He didn't really care. His dad was a great guy and knew his son was a bright boy, as long as his final grade was good. His mother would have liked him to be a bit more determined, but she knew he was a smart boy as well. Both parents trusted him and wouldn't worry if he didn't come home from school and after school activates, directly. He had the whole day to do what he wanted and today, he had nothing but his worries and a sky full of lazy clouds to complain to.

Pushing the heavy gray door back, he expected to find the roof empty and all to himself, but was surprised to see the savior in cherry red converse up there with her bag of books and a piece of gauze that was being wrapped around her bleeding hand. When did her hand start bleeding? Did it happen in the fight when she was protecting him, and what was she doing up here of all places? Was she...could she be watching clouds?

"Oi, Sakura!"

The said pink haired girl squeaked in surprise, making Shikamaru feel a bit awkward. Timidly she climbed to her feet and began to gather up her books, mumbling apologies better than Hinata, but still troublesome. "I was just leaving, sorry to interrupt."

The lazy boy was only arms distance away when her messenger bag began to open up, the wrong way and loose all it's books. Thinking quickly he reached out to steady it and grab that books that were falling out.

"Here let me help you with that. You weren't intruding on anything, you can stay up here if you want."

Sakura looked up nervously, and nodded. "Thanks, I don't want to go home."

The two sat down at a favored ledge. Shikamaru looked over at the book he had handed Sakura and noticed it was a favorite of his. "I didn't think you would be found of something as dark as Macbeth."

Sakura looked up and spared a sheepish smile. "It's a favorite of mine. In my old school, we did a play on Macbeth and I was lucky enough to be cast as Lady Macbeth. I was just getting into Shakespeare back then, but I remember enjoying it a whole lot."

Shikamaru raised his eye brows. "Really? I would have never though you to be someone to like _that_ character._The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts! unsex me here,And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature's mischief! Come thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark to cry Hold, Hold!"_

Sakura smiled wildly in turn and spoke in a tone, louder than most with a commanding edge. _"O, never Shall sun that morrow see! Your face, my thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't. He that's coming Must be provided for: and you shall put This night's great business into my dispatch; Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom."_

Shikamaru laughed, seeing the change from meek school mouse to commanding lioness before his very eyes. "I shall keep friends with you. There is danger on turning your back on a woman as ever changing as you."

"That you should, friend." Sakura laughed, closing her eyes and holding her book tight to her chest.

It was rare she could talk about something she loved with someone else, aside the mirror. The lazy, male lover of plays,sighed and leaned himself back against the ground, choosing to stare up at the cloud dotted sky before him. It was a rather beautiful day for cloud watching, and he was happy to be enjoying it with someone who loved Shakespeare as much as he.

Peeking out the corner of his eye he saw her sitting with her legs dangling over the ledge and her forehead pressed against the bars that prevented her from falling. Her hair had fallen out of most of the bun into a loose pony tale, and with her eyes half lidded she looked tired, in a sort of calming way.

"Hey Sakura, I never did ask you what you were doing up here?" he said, absentmindedly, continuing to stare up at the sky above him, and not mind her and she turned to him.

"What I was doing up here? I don't come up here often because I don't like the heights, but I like cloud watching. It helps me when I'm angry or vexed over things I can not change in life. It's a sort of peaceful ritual I come to whenever events, like the ones today, take place," Sakura answered in a light voice, as she refocused her gaze on the balls of white fluff in the sky before her.

Shikimaru looked up, surprised. "Really? You were cloud watching?"

"Yeah...I know it sounds childish and sort of stupid, but it helps, and I enjoy it," she answered."

"So, you plan on heading home soon?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"She looked at him for a long moment before turning towards the sky again. "Because it's too...troublesom."

The two sat there, together in silence for what seemed like minuets, but in reality was several hours. Soon the sun had begun it's beautiful decent below the earth's crust, marking the time they should have been long gone. There were stairs on the outside of the building, so the two could climb down and no one would know about their stay at the school, after closing hours. "

Ah, it's lovely, isn't it?" Sakura asked, watching the sun set, not noticing how a breeze had swept the rest of her hair out of it's pony tale and released it to dance around her face. She turned slightly back to see Shikamaru behind her. "Isn't it?"

Shikamaru waited until Sakura turned around to watch the rest of the magnificent red and gold colors blend and dance against the sky, before answering. "Oh yeah, it's really quite a stunning sight," he replied, not letting his eyes leave her sun touched face.

It was in that moment that Shikamaru Nara knew, he didn't like Haruno Sakura.

He loved her.

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Nought's had, all's spent

Where our desire is got without content.

'Tis safer to be that which we destroy

Than, by destruction, dwell in doubtful joy.

Lady Macbeth scene ii

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Please review! I would really love it if you would. Even the flames are welcome to keep me warm in the winter months. 

Ja n, all you lovely people.


	2. Tempest

Disclaimer:/ I am sad to say, that I do not own the anime/manga/videogame/wonder-ness know as Naruto, (You guys _should_ know this by now, It's getting troublesom to say this all the time)

AN:/I know! I should be working on my other stories and updateing Ecstasy like you people want me to, but I'm waiting on my laptop to be fixed. I'll get to it sooner or later, I won't leave it hanging. But for now, I'll be working on this story and another chapter for Like Moths to the Light. Please enjoy and review!

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The Tempest

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I have great comfort from this fellow.

Methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him;

His complexion is perfect gallows.

Gonzalo, scene i

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"I know I've told you about this before Kisame," Zabuza stated in a hard tone looking down at the sulking senior seated on the damp locker bench.

The addressed male did not reply, but merely grunted and looked away.

"W've had issues with this in the past and I want you to know that your little fist fights aren't something I'm going to ignore."

"Whatever, he had it coming to him," Kisame muttered under his breath, remembering how he hardly had to try, in order to make the young junior fall with a bloodied nose.

"It still dose not excuse your behavior. This is what, the third time this month you've been caught in a fight? I can't let this go on. Until next Monday, access to the school pool is prohibited and you will be stuck, doing homework in the study next to the pool."

"What! That's not fair, you can't do that to me. I'm the best swimmer you have on this team. I need to stay in shape and a whole week will kill me!" Kisame roared, standing up in anger.

"You should have thought of that before you went and pounded Aoi in the face. The team will survive a week without you and you'll survive a week without the team. Aside from that, your teachers have been informing me of you slipping grades. You can use the time I've given you to study."

"But you can't keep me in the study overlooking the pool for five whole days! That's like...torture," the tall blue haired male replied with a gruff tone and angry eyes.

"I'm sorry Kisame, next time, think before you act."

With that said, Zabuza turned and left the men's locker room, leaving Kisame all alone to sulk at the turn of events.

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Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea

For an acre of barren ground

-Long heath, brown furze, any thing.

The wills above be done, but I would fain die a dry death.

Gonzalo, scene i

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Sakura hummed quietly to herself as she finished writing up her notes in a small spiral bound pocketbook used for most of her classes. The teachers all though she was taking notes on their classes, but Sakura was smart enough to tune them out and catch up on what the class was learning in her readings at home.

No, this pocket book was for taking down story ideas and song lyrics that popped into her head. She had so much more muse for the things she enjoyed, that it gobbled up, close to ever minuet of her waking being. It's a good thing she didn't get caught with this book and it's writings, her teachers would be sorely disappointed in her and disappointment was not something Sakura handled well. It came from having a father and mother who got nothing but A's their whole life.

Someone in front of her dropped their pencil, causing it to roll over to where Sakura was sitting. Being the kind and caring person she was, she picked it up and attempted to return it to it's owner.

"Um, I think you dropped this."

The girl in front of her turned around, made a disgusted face and replied with haughty words, "You can keep it, or throw it away if you like. I don't want it back now that a nerd has touched it."

Sakura watched with saddened eyes, behind thin wire glasses as the rude girl got up with her things, and marched out of the room with her four inch heels and perfectly straight blond hair swinging behind her, waving like gold in the sun. It was something Sakura always envied about most girls, how they could get their super long hair so shiny and straight, while keeping it so long.

Trying to brush the event off Sakura looked at the perfectly good pencil in her hand and pocketed it away with the rest of her writing utensils. There was no point in wasting a perfectly good writing tool, even if it had belonged to a very rude and vain young lady.

Sakura would not lower herself to petty insults, only the truth, bare and clean, the way it should be.

"Hey Sakura..." someone called from in front of the timid book lover.

The addressed girl spared a small smile when she saw it was her teacher, Kakashi. "Yes, teacher?"

The man with silver hair and dark black eyes, one of which was hidden behind his long bangs, spared a smile for his favorite pupil. "Hey, Sakura, do you plan on studying after class today inside the school building, or do you plan on going straight home?"

"I was thinking about staying here for today, my dad is coming home early and so he and my mom decided to go out for the day. Staying here to study is ideal for a situation like this."

Kakashi nodded, understanding where she was coming from with her logic. "Okay, just make sure you use the one over looking the pool area, the other one by the track field is going to be pretty full with the...slower children in my class. I wouldn't want you caught up with them."

Sakura looked up at her teacher funny, but nodded in agreement, none the less. She wasn't one to talk back to a teacher or avoid his advice. Especially when it was Kakashi. "Hai, Kakashi sensei."

The gray haired teacher smiled, making his one visible crinkle in a pleasant way. It made Sakura happy to see him smiling like that.

Kakashi wasn't the youngest teacher in the building, but judging by his youthful looks, you would never believe that. Some of the students (female mostly) gossiped about he used to be a model before becoming a teacher since he looked so young and handsome. There was a point when Kakashi had to come into school with a scarf, or even a mask, coving the bottom half of his face. Kakashi was pleased to find one dedicated student that actually learned something from his classes and didn't spend all her time drooling over guys in magazines, like the rest.

"That a good girl. Now you better hurry alone, everyone else in my class has already left."

"I think they were just eager to get away from a room with a nerd in it."

"I wouldn't call you a nerd. A geek, maybe, but not a nerd."

Sakura blushed in embarrassment at the comment that was meant to be a compliment, but still made her feel timid. A geek wasn't much better than a nerd, was it? Maybe it was better, but to Sakura it didn't seem any better than the words of the girl from earlier. It wasn't her fault she liked Shakespeare and did her homework like she was told to.

"I'm going now, see you tomorrow, Kakashi sensei."

"See you tomorrow, and remember what I told you."

Sakura smiled even though she had already forgot what she was told. "I will, bye."

-

The government I cast upon my brother,

And to my state grew stranger, being transported

And rapt in secret studies.

Prospero, scene ii

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Kisame sat, slouched in his seat, staring out the wide glass window that separated his study hall and the school's swimming pool. Zabuza knew Kisame wouldn't study, that was why he confined the sulking student to this particular study room.

Watching all the other swimmers so what he wished to was like a slow, agonizing, physiological torture...and that teacher oh his knew it, too!

"Oh..ummm e-excuse me..." someone squeaked, opening the door to the study room and finding it occupied with someone, already.

Kisame looked up to see the embarased form of the young boy on his swimming team. What was his name again? It was something like Hakiu or Hikuu or...or Haku, yeah it was Haku. He was a favorite of Zabuza over all the other swimmers and a goody too shoes, no back bone at all.

"What do you want, Haku?"

"I...I was just going to leave my stuff h-here for when I go in for practice. It's...um..m-my school books and my homework..." Haku stuttered, holding up his bag.

Kisame eyed him weirdly, suspicious of a trick. "Don't we have locker rooms outside the pool for stuff like that? And what about your normal locker? Why do you have to leave your stuff here, in this room, whit me?"

Haku squeaked, shrinking under the threatening gaze of the older male. This was something Kisame could do with almost anyone, so, Haku was not an exception. "Y-yeah, but the locker rooms outside the pool are n-not locked, so the older boys usually take my stuff and if I keep it in my locker, they can get to it as well. I keep my stuff hidden in here every week."

Kisame grunted, knowing that the younger swimmer was picked on a lot by the older bullies in their school, due to his...less than masculine looks. "Whatever, it's not like I own the place, I can't stop you if you want to keep your books here."

Haku spared a small smile for the blue haired seinor students, sitting slouched in his chair. "Thank you. I didn't think you would let me."

"Why would you think that? I have nothing to gain by chasing you out."

Haku picked up the bottom cushion of a nearby arm chair, meant for seating avid readers, and stuffed his small bag of books under the pale tan bum cushion. "Well...I heard Zabuza sensei say that you were here for fighting with another classmate."

"There's a difference kid. I wasn't picking on him, I was having a man to man _fist_ talk. He should have been able to hold his own after picking on a bunch of freshmen the day before. I don't go picking on those weaker that me, only those who say they ain't."

Haku looked up a bit surprised by the older classmate's answer. He hadn't expected a logical answer. What he was expecting went along the lines of 'I can do what I want', Mine your own business' or 'what's it to you, small fry'. Logic was the last thing he expected from the grumpy, violent impulsive teen. "I didn't expect you to say that."

Kisame looked up sharply with a narrowed eye and Haku instantly regretted speaking so familiarly with the older teen. However, what Haku thought was an icy glare was just Kisame's version of the ever so famous 'what-the-frizzel-are-you-high-on-and where-can-I-get-some' kind of look.

"Pff, whatever, you're going to be late to swim practice if you keep marsh-mellowing out on me here and I don't think Zabuza would appreciate that."

"Ah you're right! I'm going to be late!"

"No duh..." Kisame commented in a dry tone, giving the brown haired boy a look to match his brilliant statement

. "I got to get going, thanks for letting me hide my stuff here. I'll see you later, Kisame san!" Haku called dashing out the door with a polite wave.

Kisame grunted his displeasure at being addressed in such a way, but Haku was already gone, so correcting him would be fruitless. He would just have to tell the boy when he got back. Kicking his feet up to rest at the edge of the table, the failing student pulled out a can or coco cola that was hidden away in his bag and began to drink. "I'll tell him when he comes back for his stuff."

-

Know thus far forth:

By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune,

Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies

Brought to this shore; and by my prescience

I find my zenith doth depend upon

A most auspicious star, whose influence

If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes

Will ever after droop.

Prospero, scene ii

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"No way!"

"Way!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"It's true, I so saw it with my own two eyes." "

Really?"

"So really."

"That's hot, girl. That's like...fresh out of the fire hot."

"I know, isn't it?"

Sakura stood timidly behind the two teenage girls with long blond and brown hair, curled and straightened to perfection, makeup enough and a flawless completion. Three inch heels, tight jeans micro mini skirts, low neck tops and sparkled handbags that could hold the most expensive phone money could by, the numbers already starting to fade to to the large number of text messages, plus emergency lipstick.

Sakura stared at the back of their heads as they disappeared down the hall and around the corner squawking away, like there was nothing better to do. She didn't know why, but she envied these girls who seemed to hold the ability to do anything they wanted. She was timid, quiet, wore glasses and cherry red converse.

She had a well form, but would never, ever, dare to lower herself enough to display her body in such a barbaric way or pure idiocy. Maybe it was her jealousy talking there, but that was how she viewed the preps that looked down on her for her nerd-lyness, or geekyness as Kakashi sensei put it.

"I _could_ be like that...if..."

No, she knew she couldn't. She could dress up that way, buy the hand bags, wear the makeup, but there would always be something lacking in her walk, her manner of speech, the way she apologized for bumping into someone instead of snapping at them to watch where they were going. (She had been on the other end of those comments so she should know).

Grabbing her books, she made her way down the mostly empty hallways, navigating her way through the corridors of hallway, searching for the study room next to the school's swimming pool, wherever the stupid place was. She was always bad with directions and had a hate for asking the that would rival a man's.

Hoping she had found the right one, she opened the door and peaked inside. Yup, this was the right room, however there was already someone inside and he wasn't studying. 'Maybe it's the teacher's lounge.'

"If you're going to come in, than come in. Don't stand there in the doorway."

"S-ss-sorry!" Sakura squeaked a bit at the gruffness of the voice but hastily entered, not wanting to anger whoever spoke any further. Scanning the room she was relieved to find it mostly empty with only one other person sitting at a table. She wasn't planing on conversing with the blue haired senior but it would be wrong and impolite to ignore someone when they address you.

"Pink hair...hey, your name wouldn't happen to be Sakura would it?"

"T-that is my name," the addressed girl replied, feeling her body grow hot from nervousness.

"You were the one that beat up Aoi the other day, aren't you?" Kisame asked setting down his empty soda can without looking at it. His eyes were fixed on Sakura and her timid form.

"It-it wasn't like that! I didn't mean to hurt him! Or-or injured her t-too badly. I-I didn't want to hurt him!" Sakura was almost crying as she tried to explain herself in front of someone so intimidating.

Kisame almost faltered, not meaning to make the small pink haired girl cry. He was a total eat-raw-eggs-rip-of-chest-hair tough guy most of the time, but he always had this soft spot for crying girls or little, cute looking girls in general. "Heh-hey, don't get so worked up over it! It's nothing to be crying over. He was a jerk and he deserved it. Even I had to take a swing at him, okay."

Sakura seemed to calm down a bit when she realized he wasn't blaming her for her actions."Sorry for falling apart in front of you."

"Well I can't say it's okay, cause you really scared me there."

"Sorry." Sakura said again, bowing her head.

Kisame felt a bit guilty. "But, I'll get over it. It's no big deal."

Sakura looks up and notices the book that he had lying on the table. "Were you reading the Tempest?" Kisame looked a bit frightened as he grabbed the book in a flash. "It's for school!"

"Oh but I love Shakespeare! It's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about," Sakura quickly stated, defending one of her favorite works, not really thinking about how much of a geek it made her.

The blue haired youth looked down at his book and then over at Sakura. He didn't really get to talk to other girls too much since he scared them all away, so he never had one find out about his secret enjoyment that would totally ruin his macho image.

"Shakespeare... makes me happy. If Tempest is something you enjoy, you shouldn't try to hide it because it's embarrassing."

She reads Shakespeare, gives encouraging pep talks, beats up jerks he doesn't like, and looks completely adorable with her bouncy pink locks and big emerald green eyes. How could such a girl exist in the school without him knowing it?

Blushing lightly from his thoughts Kisame smiled gently. "I really enjoy Tempest. Have you ever read it?" Sakura smiled back.

"Read it? I have most of the book memorized."

"Hey, it's a pretty long book!"

"No for someone who reads as much as I do."

"Oh really?"

"_Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell: Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong, bell_".

Kisame smiled but proceeded to quote a part of his favorite story as well. "_How many goodly creatures are there here!How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!"_

-

All hail, great master!

Grave sir, hail! I come

To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly,

To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride

On the curl'd clouds.

To thy strong bidding task

Ariel, and all his quality.

Ariel, scene ii

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Suigetsu looked at Haku with a raised eyebrow, as he watched the feminine looking young boy had at the edge of a window, peering into a study room. "Haku, what do you think you're doing?"

"Shh, not so loud! Sakura san might hear us," Haku hissed from the corner of the window, keeping as much of his face out of the way as possible.

The white haired boy looked into the room and saw a cute looking girl with pink hair and glasses laughing at something Kisame said. Haku let out a sound that sounded like a muffled whimper as he watched the attractive young girl laugh and smile. He didn't have to be a Nara to see that Haku had it bad for the pink haired girl named Sakura.

"What are you stalking her? Why don't you just go in there and talk to her if you like her so much?" he asked, watching the brown eyed boy longingly gaze at the green eyed girl behind the glass.

"I couldn't talk to her. I would have nothing to say. And besides, she wouldn't ant to talk to me. Everyone knows how hard it is to talk to her. Do you know how many guys have been trying to ask her out in the past week alone? She's unobtainable for someone like me," Haku answered with a wishful sigh as he watched the object of his affection smile and laugh.

Suigetsu frowned at his friend. "But don't you want to talk to her. Even if it's not to ask her out. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get her to say hello to you?"

"Are you kidding? I would gladly die for that! But, Sakura san is a fragile withdrawn person. She's very delicate as far as friendships go."

"So you're not going to talk to her?"

Haku looked up at Suigetsu with pleading eyes and looked as if he was about to cry. He reminded Suigetsu of a young child that wanted something baldly, but knew he couldn't obtain it.

"Well good luck with your heartbrake. I hear Dr. Phil is good with stuff like that. See you around Haku."

"Wa-Wait, Suigetsu!"

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Please review! I would really love it if you would. Even the flames are welcome to keep me warm in the winter months.

Ja n, all you lovely people.


	3. Midsummer's night dream

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it.

**AN**/ I had a hard time coming up with a play to go with this one chapter. I was thinking of doing Hamlet for Naruto, but I didn't want to write about Naruto. I wanted to do a bad guy. And yes, there is a little Sasori Sakura in the beginning, but it's very minor, just like Kiba and Haku in the first two chapters. On a side note, I checked out The Complete works of William Shakespeare to give me a muse boost. That thing weighs a freaking ten pounds and has Bible pages!

**Dedication**: To speedDemon315, I really wanted to do some OroSaku for you, with a side of SasSak. I hope you like it.

Please review, flames are welcome.Really...I do not care.

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A Midsummer's Night Dream

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Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,  
Could ever hear by tale or history,  
The course of true love never did run smooth

**Lysander,** scene i

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"Really, I'm not that good with math," Sakura meekly stuttered, taking a steep backwards.

"Come on forehead, don't be like that," Ino sneered, placing her hands on her hips in a intimidating manner that had meek, little Sakura shivering under the taller girl's long shadow.

"We know you're getting straight A's in Match," Karin added with just as much venom.

"I'm not-"

"Would you just shut up and give us the answers to your test."

"Listen to Ino. I'm sure you remember the answers with a brain like your's."

"It would be wrong for you to keep the answers from us."

Sakura stuttered, backing up against the wall of light blue colored lockers, hating how she had nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide. She was trapped like a mouse in a rattrap, still timid as ever.

Ino and Karin advanced upon her shivering form with vengeance lit in their narrowed eyes. Sakura hated having this attention. That's why she was always so quiet and withdrawn. This was how it was at her old school as well. For some reason she though this new start would be better than the last. But, by the look of their faces, she knew it to be nothing more than a lost hope.

"Well ask you on more time," Ino threatened.

"Give us the answers to this week's math test, or your precious little book finds it's self in the toilet," Karin finished, holding up a hardcover version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Sakura gasped, looking down at the books in her hands to find her book gone. When did they take it without her noticing?

"That's a really expensive book, please give it back."

"Awww. Forehead girl wants her book back, Karin."

Karin snickered, holding the book behind her head. "That's too bad."

"Come on you guys, please give me it back! You can get someone else for the answers, I don't have them. I need my book back, please give it back," Sakura pleaded, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

Sakura's glasses started to fall down the bridge of her nose, but she didn't bother reaching up to push them back. That book they had belonged to her beloved grandmother who had passed away four years ago. One thing the two ladies had in common was a love for Shakespeare and all his works. The book was very old and more expensive than most. But on top of money value, that book held a great sentimental value to Sakura. She couldn't loose it or allow it to become damaged.

Ino snickered at how the green eyed girl begged for her book. It made her sick to see some people who were so...so...plain and old fashioned. Read? Please, no on reads anymore unless it's on the internet or assigned reading. And this girl did it for fun? What century did she come out of?

And on top of all of this she was begging for her Shakespeare book back. _Shakespeare_! As if that guy wrote anything worth reading. It was all so messed up with that old English anything interesting was lost. Sakura was such an annoying girl, it ticked Ino off to no end.

"This book must be important to you. I wonder if it's as important to you as an A on out math score is?" Karin asked with a mocking voice as she held the book out of reach.

It was so fun to tease Sakura in this way. Something about the girl who wore glasses was just so irritating for Karin, who also wore glasses. It might be jealously at how Sakura stole her look, but there were many other girls out there who also wore glasses. So, what made Sakura so different form the rest?

It might be the way Sasuke kun seems to tolerate her above the rest of the girls. True, that was only because she was not a fangirl like the rest of the female population, but that didn't excuse her being able to talk to Sakura in the hallway about their history assignment!

How dare she not understand something they had studied before she come to their school! Where dose she get to nerve to go up and ask their Sasuke kun about it? She even got him to reply with more than three words! How dare she do such a thing! How dare she!

"Karin san, I really need that book back, I'll try and help you on the test all you want, but I really need that book back. You can't let it get wet or damaged. Please just give it back to me," Sakura pleaded once again tears rolling down her face.

That scene seemed to snap something inside Karin. Sakura looked pretty crying, and Karin hated it!

"Stop crying you little cow!" Karin screeched, raising her free hand to hit Sakura, only to have it held back by and angered redhead with narrowed crimson orbs aimed in her direction.

"Sasori kun..." Ino whispered, surprised to see the older student.

"Karin san, you weren't about to hit Sakura san, were you?"

The female redhead was at a loss of words under the sharp glare of the older student who was extreamely good looking. Karin knew for a fact that Ino had a crush on his as well as his friend Deidara. "N-no. Never."

"Than if I release your hand, you will return Sakura's book to her and leave her alone?" Sasori asked, his deep, velvety voice leaving no room for a reply other than yes.

"O-of course. Y-yes!"

Sasori nodded, letting Karin's arm fall from his iron grasp. His blood red gaze, however, only took a more firm hold on the two girls who were shivering in fear before him. Neither one would dare go against him with that kind of look in his eyes. They were no difference from the rest of the people who judged others on skin deep appearances.

"Here's you book back, Sakura," Karin whispered in a scared tone that sounded like it wanted to sound calm.

"Sorry about that, Sakura. We were only kidding around, right? I'll see you around school," Ino added in a polite tone, acting a bit more calm than Karin. She wanted to look good in front of Sasori, after all.

"Yeah, see you around, Sakura," Karin added before following Ino in her flight from the scene.

Sakura looked up at Sasori who was watching the two girls hastily retreat, and then back down at her treasured book. She though for sure she was going to loose it to water damage. She was thankful Sasori showed up when he did and did what he did.

"Thank you for helping me out."

Sasori looked down at the timid girl with tear stains on her cheek and sighed. "It was no problem. You're Kisame's friend after all and you're also someone a person I know would like to see looked after. You're sill considered new here, and you're not used to people like Karin and Ino. I'm surprised they have left you alone this long."

"It's okay, there were girls like her at my old school, but I was mostly overlooked. Nothing like this ever happened before," Sakura replied with a meek smile, forgetting to ask who his mysterious acquaintance was who wanted to see her looked after. "If you ever need anything from me, feel free to ask me, I guess I'm in your debt."

Sasori 'tisked' lightly, looking over in another direction. "Don't think like that. All you should say is a simply thank you and be on your way. I already told you it was not a problem to me."

"But it helped me a lot. This book is precious too me and I'm glad it was saved."

Sasori looked down at the pink haired girl with an impassive face, beginning to understand why Kisame was so obsessed with her. "If you want to do something for me, clean your face of those tear stains and get to class on time. That will be enough for me."

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Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,  
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,  
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth,  
And ere a man hath power to say, — Behold!  
The jaws of darkness do devour it up:  
So quick bright things come to confusion.

**Lysander,** scene i

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Sakura, smiled to herself, putting her liquids away properly as the other girls in the class chatted amongst themselves, leaving the cleaning up to their partners, who were almost all boyfriends. Sakura was the only one that did not have a partner, since there was an odd number of kids in the class.

"Nao, please clean up your work station properly," their lab teacher, Orochimaru, called out, sounding not so amused at how the majority of his students were behaving in his class. Sakura, being the only exception.

"Yes, sensei," the orange haired girl called back with an annoyed tone.

"See that you do."

"Hmm...whatever."

Sakura looked up and was pleased at how clean her workspace looked. Karin was in her class, and she was sitting three work stations away in back, so Sakura couldn't really see what the red head was planning. Sakura desperately prayed to God that there wouldn't be any trouble in her lab class. Not lab class with Orochimaru, of all teachers.

Most of the kids in her class said mean things about this particular teacher. Sakura guessed this was because he was so strict and hard on troublemakers and smart alacks. And when you narrow it down, that's just about everyone aside from a few clean souls.

The tall lab teacher had long, black hair that seemed to be the essence of silk with striking saffron, yellow eyes, reminding Sakura of powered gold. Most of the kids said that this made him look like a snake, and Sakura would agree, but the snake she saw wasn't a cunning, evil creature, but rather, one of majesty and power, demanding respect.

Respect because he could probably rip your throat out and feed it to the fishes faster than you could cry uncle.

Yes, Sakura was frightened of her teacher. She was deathly afraid of the man she viewed as both beautiful and ruthless. Though, she was probably the only one in the entire school that would think he was good looking, everyone else hated his guts too much or was too frightened of the man.

Orochimaru looked up from some of his notes and for a second Sakura though he looked her in the eye before returning to the papers he held in his hands. The green eyed girl shivered. She couldn't blame anyone who though him frightening. He was intimidating, to say the least.

"Wow, this tray is slippery..." Sakura heard someone say from behind her. She only had a moment to turn before her glasses fell from her face from the impact.

_Crash_

"Whoops, that was all my fault. I'm _so _sorry Sakura chan." Karin's words sounded apologetic, but the way she said them sounded anything but. Sakura could see the red head was smirking evilly as she watched her handiwork take effect.

"Ahh..."Sakura meekly cried looking down at her dampened apperance. While passing by, Karin had dumped a tray of liquids all over Sakura's small body. And to top it off, they were the liquids that kept animal parts preserved. That though alone grosses Sakura out.

"Sakura, you shouldn't be in people's ways like that. You only brought this upon your self," Karin continued to mock as kids all throughout the classroom began to laugh and snicker.

Sakura felt tears burning the corners of her eyes and heat flooding her cheeks.

Why was she always picked on so much? Why was she always made fun of? Why couldn't they just leave her alone. Why did they always had to make her life so miserable?

"Alright, that's enough, Karin I want to see you after school, you and I will have a little talk with Tsunade and we'll discuses what you did. As for the rest of you, get out of here now!" Orochimaru ordered with a stern voice.

"Pff, whatever, I said it was an accident."

Aand with that, Sakura knew Karin would get off free for what she did, because in the world as it is, their will always be injustice and their will always be warped justice, and then there will always be a mixture of the two.

Sakura sniffled a bit as she heard the kids all file out, snickering and giggling to one another. She didn't bother taking her eyes off the floor, nor did she bother to move her wet bangs out of her eyes.

Did any of it even matter?

"It's a good thing you were wearing layered shirts, Sakura san. You'll have to be content with one after you go to the nurse's to get cleaned up," he stated, taking a cleaning town and wiping some of the heavier gook off her face and head.

"H-hai," she answered weakly.

Orochimaru noticed her week tone and the redness of her face and instantly assumed something was wrong with the poorly abused girl, other than embarrassment. Shivering like a leaf and heavy breathing like this was a bit over the top. "Are you alright Sakura san?"

Sakura nodded, but said nothing, not wanting to speak.

The older man sighed deeply and seemed to be debating something in his mind, finally coming to a decision.

"Sakura I know this was an act of bulling, so you have a right to be angry. Don't try to hold your true feelings back so much. If it makes you feel better, you can cry all you want and I won't tell anyone," he offered in a softer tone.

Sakura choked back a sob and drew herself away, taking a steep back and crumpling to the floor.She didn't want to be seen this way. She didn't want anyone to look at her. All she wanted was to blend into the background and read her books. She never asked to be noticed. She never even secretly dreamed of it. She just wanted to be left alone.

"N-no."

Ever since Sakura could remember, fear was always present in her life. She was frightened of crowds, of strangers, of large empty expanses, and of close encounters with males. It didn't matter if her teacher was so much older than her, he was still a guy and that frightened Sakura.

"I...I-no. Don't I...n-no..." She stuttered, looking away, finding it hard to breath.

"Sakura-"

"Leave me alone!"

The scream started Sakura just as much as it did Orochimaru. He hadn't expected her to curl up into a feeble position against the base of the counter and lash out at him with her words in such a way. He didn't think such loud words were capable of coming from such a small girl. Let alone timid, little Sakura from the back of his classroom.

"Is that how it is, then?"

Sakura looked up, a bit frightened by the change in his tone. "What?"

"You're frightened of me as well."

It wasn't like that. She wasn't frightened of his personally, just being close to someone she didn't know. He could have been Bruce Lee and she still would have been scared of the guy.

Regaining a bit of her mind, Sakura attempted to enlightened the confused man. "No, it's not-"

Her words were silenced by action. Rather, her Lab teacher moving forward to embrace her small frame tightly in his arms, as if he never intended to let her go. Sakura's mind went blank.

"Not you Sakura, not you. Don't you dare look at me with fear, not when I feel this way. I don't care how much of the words curses me in fear for these eyes or my words. As long as you're not afraid, I can survive. I don't care what they think."

What was this? He was her teacher! What was he doing go on about how he didn't want her to fear him?

Orochimaru didn't dare look down at the girl he was holding, for fear he would see the intense swirling of emotion behind he golden colored eyes. Those eyes that had been watching her for such a long time. They couldn't meet her right now, not when he was the weak and this close to exposing all the secrets he held back. And not when they were so close to the eyes that had captivated him so deeply. It was far too much for any man who had a half a heart to bear.

"What-"

"You're too kind a girl to be this frightened of the world. Don't keep it all bottled up inside you like this. It'll hurt you too much and in turn, hurt the people that care about you. Please, Sakura, just this once, cry a bit. If not for yourself, than for me."

Sakura looked up, or tried to but was unable to see the face of her teacher, he had turned it away in hops of hiding his eyes. He didn't know if they scared her or if it was just her who was frightened of everything.

"Please, just cry for me."

Sakura bent her head down into his chest and gasped a little, tears close to falling over.

"Cry to me..."

And she did. For almost six straight minuets Sakura couldn't utter a word. Orochimaru never asked her to, all he did was hold her and tell her it was alright, that everything was going to be okay. After that, Sakura composed herself and turned away, noticing she was still a bit wet from the juices Karin spilled all over her, and had gotten her teacher wet with both that and her tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not sorry you cried or you got me wet, it's only cloths and time. Your emotions are much more important than that," he answered letting her go only to stroke back a lock of hair for her eyeglass missing face.

Sakura looked down and blushed. "Thank you..."

"It wasn't a problem, but I think you should get to the nurse's office and get cleaned up. You'll get sick in this weather all wet like that," he said taking her apperance in.

"Why would you...I mean, why bother aiding me?"

He smiled and Sakura flushed, thinking it was a rare and beautiful thing. "I couldn't let a fellow Shakespeare lover down, now could I? Now hurry up and get to the nurse and change."

She nodded, standing up. "You're right. I had better get going then..."

Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a bit sad to see her go. It was a small dream come true for him to hold her in his arms like that and let her cry with him there to ease away her fears. He was glad he had what little time he did with Sakura. Still, he couldn't help but feel pain to see her go. "Ah..."

Sakura was at the door when she stopped and turned. "Orochimaru sensei?"

"Yes, Sakura san?" he asked, going back to addressing her properly.

"I didn't think you were ever scary."

And with that said, Sakura left the dark haired man to his joy filled thoughts.

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Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,  
And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.

**Helena,** scene i

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Sasori watched with a keen eye as the pink haired girl who had forgotten her glasses scuffle down the hall and stop outside the nurse's office. She looked like a different person without her glasses and with her hair wet.

She paused, looking back over her shoulder and for a moment Sasori though their eyes met, but was most likely mistaken when she turned away and entered the small office room. Her hair swishing over her shoulder in an elegant way.

Or at least he thought so.

He smirked to himself, pushing his upper body off the wall, and stuffing his hands deep into his pockets in the process. He wasn't suppose to be this late to the meeting, but they wouldn't mind when they heard of what he had to tell them. Especially not _him, _the person who had his eye on Sakura in the first place.

As he walked away, he couldn't help but let her face float back into his mind, over and over again. His eyes softened without his knowing as he though of her. She looked really different without her glasses.

And he though it was a good different.

"I can see why _he _likes her."

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The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was.

**Bottom,** scene i

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YES! Me is finished! (I meant to use bad grammar)

Oh yeah, you know how I said I checked out The Complete works of William Shakespeare to give me a muse boost. I went back and looked and saw that it has over two thousand and seventy pages or something like that. Good thing the print is large.

Okay, for the next chapter I want to add more of a connection with the chosen play and the story. Though some of you may be disappointed, I don't intend on making Sakura cross dress anytime soon (though that is a funny idea). I'm going to go read and look for a good story to base the next story off of.

Ja ne

Vesper chan


	4. The taming of the Shrew

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. Aside from the eventual Naruto and Kiba. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:To all those girls who think they need to be stick thin to be pretty. To all those girls who gave up on eating healthy for that look. To all those girls who think they aren't good enough they way they are. This goes out to you.

Please review, flames are welcome.Really...I do not care.

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The Taming of the Shrew

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I burn, I pine, I perish.

**Lucentio,** scene I

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"I would like to see you raise your arms a bit higher Ino san. Not that high, just tilt the elbow upwards. Good job, just follow Sakura san's example. Her form is near flawless."

"Yes, sensei..."

"Good."

Ino narrowed her sharp blue eyes and directed her glare over at the pink haired ballet student on the other side of the room. Was there no end to this girl and her taunting? She had to follow her to her after school ballet lessons and apply. And not only that, she had to be good!

Her teacher of seven years was saying Sakura was _better _than she was.How dare she!

And if that wasn't bad enough, Neji, the most handsome male dancer in their class kept stealing glances over at her throughout the class. Couldn't he just stay over on his side of the room and work with Lee on their parts without having to look over at her every five secounds.

He never looked over at Ino. Not even when she first started dancing here, and believe me, she tried to get his attention. Next to Sasuke kun, he was one of the hottest guys in their grade, maybe even our whole school! And you can believe that she was after him with looks like that. She's pretty shameless when it comes to good looking guys.

During their last preformances she was even pared up with him once for a school dance/play, much to the disappointment of Karin who had been his partner the first two times. But even when they were partners he hardly ever talked to her!

_'Maybe he was speechless at the level of grace and beauty I possessed while dancing. Yeah, that had to be it.' _Ino though to herself as she stretched her arms back and lifted her upper body forward, winking at the long haired male who missed her flirtatious gesture._  
_

There were only three guys in the ballet glass since Kimimaro left two semesters ago, leaving the number one spot to Neji who was constantly bugged by Lee for compatition. Lee, if you couldn't tell, was the only male in this class that enjoyed it.

Sai, the only other male was a pretty mellow guy, only taking the class because his parents made him. It was rumored he was the seventh or sixth son to a family that always wanted girls. But he never spoke of any brothers so that was only a rumor floating around.

At least he wasn't stealing glances over at Sakura whenever he had a free moment.

Moving onto the next phase of practice the girls were instructed to preform a Cou-de-pied, sur le followed by a Retire. The working foot is placed on the part of the leg between the base of the calf and the beginning of the ankle. Followed by a position in which the thigh is raised to the second position en l'air with the knee bent so that the pointed toe rests in front of, behind or to the side of the supporting knee.

The position in it's self is not that hard, what's hard is _holding _it.

Ino hated to admit it, but the difficult task that sapped her of her energy appeared to be mere child's play to the pink haired dancer across the room. It was disgusting how flawless her form was, or how small and even her breaths were. That little overweight fairy should be gasping for breath now. She should-

_**Bam**_

Ino smirked at her wish come true as she watched Sakura fall to the floor in what appeared to be lack of breath. No wonder her breathing looked so easy from down the long barre.

She wasn't.

" Sakura chan, are you alright?"

The green eyed girl smiled weakly at her teacher and looked up with pain in her eyes from having to breath so hard. "I'm fine, I just need a rest. I was a bit tired today when I came in so I think I just overworked myself."

"That could be it. If that's true, I want you o go home and rest. You should know too well the dangers of someone who forces herself to dance in such a week condition," the teacher replied helping the girl up.

Ino smirked as she watched Sakura's face fall. This meant she wouldn't be around for the end of the lesson when they would be casting roles for the upcoming event. If anything, Sakura would be some sort of extra prop manager. Sakura knew this too, for it shone clearly on her face as she packed up and left the training room with downcast eyes.

"Are you sure you are alright Sakura san?" Neji asked ,coming over to the pink haired girl with concern laced in his pretty voice, much to the dismay of Ino and the fury of Karin.

Sakura smiled weakly and nodded getting her things together. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Would you like me to escort you to the parking lot or are you taking the bus home?" Neji asked picking up her school bag before she could. It looked like he was determined to stay by her side as long as possible.

"I...I was going to either call a friend of mine to pick me up or walk home. My house isn't far from the school so it would only take me a few minuets to get there," Sakura replied, glancing nervously over at Ino and Karin who were glaring at her. She must have noticed them some time ago, because she was hurridly picking up her things and trying to get out of the conversation Neji started.

"If you're not feeling well, you shouldn't be walking so far."

"That's why I think I'll call my friend."

"If you want I could-"

"I'm sorry Neji san, I should get going. Thank you for your help, but I got to go," Sakura interrupted, taking her bag from his startled hands before taking off for the door, her face beat red from embarrassment and fear of tomorrow with Ino and Karin.

Did Neji really hate her enough to provoke those girls into hating her anymore than they already did?

"Neji get back in place and the rest of you ladies, get back to the barre. Move, move!" their teacher called out in a harsh tone, keeping her posture straight like a refined lady would.

"Hai mistress!"

But instead of going home, Sakura left for after school independent study, waiting till classes were over so that she could pratice a bit more after having sit for such a long while. That's all she needed, a little rest.

-

-

Do as adversaries do in law, —  
Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.

**Tranio,** scene II

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-

Violins let their strings sing, filling the mirrored room with their song of sorrow that is expressed by the willowy form of a young sixteen year old dancer who's form lacks any incorrectness.

Dancing on pointe, she is flawless standing on her toes using the French demi-pointe method. As her song slows she waits for he cue to pause in her form, the abdominal muscles engaged and the back should be kept straight, while the neck muscles find themselves relaxed. Holding herself in that form for such a long time would have any other girl her age panting in pain, but for her only a small sweat broke from her skin.

Her control over her visible emotions is par to none after so many years of being the geek picked on, bullied in the halls, dumped with homework that wasn't her own, pushed to the ends of the lines, the pun of a sick joke, the drain that let's stress out for others.

The music dies and she is free to fall from her forced position and retreat to the barre where a clean towel and water bottle wait for her. After a so much of this, she was ready for a break.

Taking the towel to her face she wasn't surprised by how tired she was at the end of her practice. She always did have a weak heart and a small lung capacity. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but it still wasn't up to par with Ino or Karin. Still, she was thankful it was enough to fight and dance with.

The other thing holding her back was her weight. She wasn't overweight or fat at all, weighing in at the average weight for her age-height group. But that was partially the problem. She was average, so compared to the top ballet dancers like Karin and Ino, she probably looked like a elephant.

Those two were tall stick thin Barbie doll look a likes with sharp hips and visible ribs under their shirts. It was a rumor among the girls that these two girls were anorexic, never seen eating anything more than a dry salad and water. This was probably the case since their weight for their height was so abnormal.

There was even a story floating around in the girls locker rooms that Karin was caught throwing up her lung in one of the toilet's stalls after accidentally eating a piece of chicken she forgot to take out of her salad. Sakura didn't doubt it.

It was amazing those girls could still give it their all running on only a few leaves of lettuce and carrot shavings. Sakura art twice as much as them and she still got light headed a lot of the time.

_'Is that what it costs to be good in this field? Do I have to starve myself and push on even when I feel like breaking down and falling asleep on the hard wood floor? Do I have to give up on eating healthy to get rid of the bullying?'_

Sakura coughed into her hand, letting her breathing slow down before taking extra big swing of water out of the yellow and pink water bottle with Hello Kitty characters prancing around the rim. It was hers since grade school and even though she got picked on for it, she kept the water jug in good condition and it would have been a waste to buy a new one.

Standing up after finishing her water Sakura grabbed her things and took a steep towards the door and froze.

Someone was already standing there.

Her bag and empty water bottle clattered to the floor as shock spread across her face, followed by a tint of dark red. Someone saw her dancing after hours in the school dancing room.

Someone saw her dancing.

Someone saw her dance

Someone saw her.

Someone saw.

He saw her.

He _saw_!

"I am sorry if I startled you. I didn't think anyone used this room after lessons ended," he spoke in a calm voice as he stared at her with fadded jade colored eyes.

"I...I-I was. It was-and I. I...S-s-s-sorry!" Sakura stuttered, bowing with her face flustered and tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She was so embarrassed to have had someone see her dancing like that. There was a reason she waited till everyone was gone before she came back her to dance. Could the earth please open up and swallow her whole now?

Sakura bent down to pick up her things, getting ready to bolt once she had everything, but was stopped when the boy with the beautiful jade eyes picked up a few of her books for her. "Here let me help you."

"N-n-no that's. It's fine, I got it. Y-you don't have to..." she stuttered in a faint whisper, not wanting to be around this person who saw her any longer than she had to be. It was like having your life's diary read aloud on the stage of American Idol, or some other popular TV show. It wasn't a pleasant experience in the least.

"This is fine, I don't mind." He replied handing her back a few books, the top one being her personal copy of The Taming of the Shrew. Seeing this her blush of embarrassment when up two shades. Why did Shakespeare have to be on the top. She loved him dearly, but not when he was showing off to people like this.

"Thank you, I have it from here, you can leave," Sakura quickly explained, throwing her books into her bag and scooping up her things in a hurry as she tried to fight back the blush.

"You're name is Sakura isn't it. I know you from one of my classes," the young male stated, standing up with her and matching her pace as she jogged out the door. "Do you want to know my name?"

"No. I have to get home. Please leave me alone," She quickly replied, speeding up.

"My name is Kimimaro, we're in History together. You probably don't know recognize me since it is such a largely sized class, but I remember you very well. You're the girl that transfered her and got the top marks in our class in the first week. I did not know a bookwork like you could dance like that."

Sakura squeaked, her blush coming back full force. So he had see her dancing! She was really ready to die now. No one was suppose to see her dancing like that. No one! She didn't even like watching herself in the mirror most of the time. But it was her emotions dancing, she needed to dance like that_._ "You can't tell anyone about what you just saw in there!"

"Why not?" he asked, a bit surprised, but glad she had stopped trying to run away from him. He was a bit worried that she would tire herself out too much after such a long and extensive workout.

"You just can't, it's embarrassing," she hissed, shaking a bit.

"I thought it was sexy."

"Ahhh, don't say something like that! You make it sound like I'm some sort of devil's pole dancer. You can't-Ughhhh, just forget you say anything."

Kimimaro looked Sakura over with calm eyes wondering why she was so embarrassed about her ballet dance that held a bit of street style to it. Most girls wouldn't get embarrassed something like this. Most would show it off, if they could. "I do not understand, why are you trying to cover it up? You're a good dancer, better than anyone else in that class."

"I just told you! It's embarrassing and I don't want anyone finding out about it! Can't you understand that?"

"No I can not understand that. You have a spark in your steps that no one else in that class has and yet you choose to throw it under the rug and act as if it is not there. I can not understand why you would hide such a talent from the world."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, glaring at the male before her. "I remember hearing about you. You're that boy that quit the ballet class a while back. If dancing is such a great public thing, why did you quit?"

"A simple answer to a simple question. There was no one there worth of me being their Cavalier."

"You quit because all your dance partners were inferior?"

"It was tiresome to lower myself down to their level. No one even really tried for the sake of dancing. They just wanted to be paired up with me," Kimimaro answered with a straight face, not the least bit ashamed.

"You are a very humble person, you know that?"

The boy with white haire falling to his shoulders grinned smugly, though the action was barely noticeable since it was gone once it came. "If you doubt my ability, would you like me to demonstrate myself with you?"

"No.way.in.hell."

"And why not?" he asked, his voice as calm and smooth as ever. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura understood why he had so many girls fawning after him even after he quit classes.

"I have to get home," Sakura hissed out through clenched teeth. She normally wasn't this outgoing with someone she just met, but she was too angry to be shy around this guy.

"That is regrettable, since you were hoping I would keep what I saw to myself."

Sakura froze. "Y-you wouldn't..."

"And why not?" he asked, his voice and tone as emotionless as ever. Even when he was blackmailing someone he could be this calm? What was up with this guy?

"What do you want?"

"Only a few moments of your time. Do you know of Hall Om Mig nu, the Sweedish pop song?"

Sakura flinched, knowing where this was going and what he had in mind for her. "Do you mean the song 'Hold Me Now'? I was just dancing to her music. That was the next track. Why do you ask?"

Kimimaro stepped forward, taking her bag from her pale hands and grabbing the water bottle. She started to protest, but he stopped her with a look, leading her back into the dance studio where he discarded her things next to the stereo system. "Hall Om Mig nu is one of my favorite pieces to dance to, dancing with you as a partner would was an experience I don't want to pass up."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Than I fail to see any point in keeping what I just saw to myself."

"I hate you."

Kimimaro chuckled taking her raised hands into his own from behind. "That's fine, you're cute when you're angry."

Sakura was about to say something more when she was hushed by a warm whisper in her ear. "Just forget I'm hear and dance, I'll be right behind you."

And then, even though Sakura would hate to admit this was what really happened, the music came on with a passion that sent the young girl flying across the dance floor, her Cavalier following her lead to a T.

-

-

You lie, in faith; for you are call'd plain Kate,  
And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst;  
But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom,  
Kate of Kate Hall, my super-dainty Kate,  
For dainties are all cates: and therefore, Kate,  
Take this of me, Kate of my consolation; —  
Hearing thy mildness prais'd in every town,  
Thy virtues spoke of, and thy beauty sounded,  
(Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs,) —  
Myself am mov'd to woo thee for my wife.

**Petruchio,** scene i

-

-

"They look good together."

Kakashi nodded, for once not reading his book. "I'm glad she stayed her instead of going back to her dad's place."

Guy turned to look at his friend with a puzzled look on his face. "What is wrong with her home?"

"A lot more than I'm willing to admit to."

Guy nodded, noticing the closing note in his friend's voice. Kakashi wouldn't say anything more on the matter and Guy wouldn't pry out of respect for his rival and the new pink haired girl who danced like a goddess out of myth. "Is it any better than this school?"

Kakashi chuckled without any humor remembering the many times he has witnessed the young pink haired girl suffering at the hands of the bullies in their school. "Not by much. That's why we're looking out for her, right."

"Yeah, though, we're not the only ones...are we?"

Kakashi looked behind him to see someone with a red cloud patched to the sleeve of his jacket retreat down the hallway. The tall Bruce Lee look a like looked back at the shadows and then at Sakura and Kimimaro and then finally sideways at Kakashi.

"No, I don't suspect we are."

-

-

What, is the jay more precious than the lark,  
Because his feathers are more beautiful?

**Petruchio,** scene iii

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* * *

Cavalier male dance partner

Okay, for this next chapter I _wanted_ to add more of a connection with the chosen play and the story...but I really wanted to write this after watching a bunch of Princess Tutu AMVs and listening to Paramore songs on the violin. (If anyone is interested, just ask and I will send you a link to the site.) Maybe next time, neh?

Ja ne

Vesper chan


	5. Anthony and Cleopatra

**isclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. Aside from the eventual Naruto and Kiba. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:

Please review, flames are welcome.Really...I do not care.

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**Antony and Cleopatra**

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In nature's infinite book of secrecy  
A little I can read. Soothsayer,  
**scene **ii

-

Sakura winced, watching the tiny bubble of blood soak through the hole in her skin that was made when she stabbed herself with a needle. Not wanting any of the blood to fall on her shirt, she stuck the finger in her mouth and sucked.

She could have avoided all of this if she just bought pants that would fit her instead of pants that were two sizes too. she didn't like having to purchase cloths too big, hem them up, and then let the hems out a year later, but she couldn't really afford new cloths every year.

And with the bullying, she was saddened to say that there were a few outfits that were damaged beyond salvation. Those few beyond repair _needed _to be replaced.

Sakura frowned, tasting the metallic flavor her blood possessed. There was a lot more than there should have been for a pin prick. At least she would be able to use these pants, finally.

It's not like her parent's weren't that well off or anything. Both her mom and dad worked most full time, Her mom as a real estate agent and her dad as a bartender/partial owner of a Club that opened for drunks down the street. You would think they would be better off than most, but the truth is they had a lot of debts from their dead uncle and her biological mother.

Yes, the woman Sakura lives with is not the one who gave birth to her sixteen years ago. Her first mother left after six years on the account that her husband had multiple affairs and abused her. She filed for custody of their daughter, but without a collage degree or any means to support herself, the court gave custody to her father.

A month later her father remarried a woman that was a regular at his place, leaving Sakura in the care of his parents for four months as he spent time on his honeymoon with his new wife. Sakura learned from her grand-pop that this was the forth wife for his son. The only reason the grandparents kept in touch was because they though the man had changed after having Sakura.

Most of their income goes to booze and smokes and other bad things that Sakura doesn't need to know about.

Her dad has affairs regularly even though his wife knows about it and spends a lot of money on those girls. Sakura's mom is the same way, playing with younger guys with the knowledge of her husband. A long time ago the must have made some sort of agreement since they're both okay with it.

Growing up, it was like living with ghosts. They were there, but never for her. At least he didn't beat her like he used to. Now the beatings were only verbal, nothing more. Still they hurt.

She took up ballet when she was younger to give her something to do...an excuse not to go home. This was with the money her father and step-mom spared for things like cloths and toothpaste. Sakura was mildly sure they were aware with where her money was going, but refused to care.

This was a good thing.

She needed ballet and dance. Soon it became an obsession for in all forms. Ballet, ballroom, street...just to let her emotions out and let loose for once was a relief. She need it.

That was the reason people like her teacher saw a difference in her movements, even though the steps were the same as anyone's. There were feelings and emotions that couldn't be expressed any other way.Her lips couldn't move on their own and say what needed to be said, so her body did that.

The sound of class crashing down startled her out of her musings and made her heart pump blood through her body twice as fast. Dad was home early. Saturdays he worked all day, but it was only 5:00 and she heard him throwing a temper tantrum downstairs.

His wife wasn't home to take up his attention, and just like a little child, someone always needed to be there for him when he was like this. It was only a matter of time before her called her name, screamed at the walls because she wouldn't come down, and then run up to her room to _discipline _her for his disobedient behavior with words that hurt more than shards of glass ever could.

_'No, no, no, no, not tonight dad.'_

A tapping sound from behind made her flinch and gasp as if she were having a heart attack. Considering the fear that was filtering through her body, it probably was a heart attack.

The face at her window smiled, seeing her frightened expression.

_'What is he doing home so early?'_

Quickly, she stumbled to her feet and ran over to the window, fumbling with the lock for a moment before it gave way and opened for her friend to climb through with ease. It never ceased to surprise her how nimble he could be, considering how large he was.

"What are you doing here so early Juugo?"

"I'm hear to rescue you."

Sakura made a face, causing her male friend to snicker. "From what?"

"My boss."

A crash resembling the shattering of a glass beer bottle echoed up the stairwell, warning Sakura of the approaching danger that was trying to make his way up the flight of stairs. Thankfully this usually took him a while.

_'That's right, Juugo works for my dad at the bar...'_

"Well, aren't you going to come with me?" he asked, his hand stretched out towards her, palm face up. His face displayed hopefulness and his eyes seemed to glow with it. He knew what would happen to her if he didn't help her now.

Sakura nodded, her head bobbing down ever so slowly as she stepped forward and took his hand, following him out her window, onto the roof and down the large oak tree out front. Once on the ground, he dragged her by the hand over the low fence that separated their homes, laughing as she had trouble jumping while holding his hand.

"You're so cute when you look like that. Almost like a little lamb."

"S-shut up and keep moving," Sakura snapped in a sour tone with red on her cheeks from embarrassment. She and Juugo had been friends forever, so she knew he wouldn't take offense at something so little.

"Hai, Hai, Hai, missy," he laughed in reply, dragging him to the other side of his house. The back door was unlocked, waiting for them.

"And don't call me that, you know how much I hate it. You're like three years older than me," she mumbled following him inside, kicking her slippers off at the doorway. She would have to buy a new pair since these were ruined from running around outside. It was a shame too, since she really liked these.

"Two years and three months," he corrected.

Sakura rolled her eyes, following home out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"You want something to drink. I swear I don't have booze in this house. Just tea and milk."

Sakura gave him a look that made him nervous, knowing he hid a small amout of rum in the back of his pantry from the bar he worked at with her father. "No thanks, I'm good with water. You can keep your rum."

"I said I don't have any of that!" he whined, turning a deep shade of red, making Sakura laugh. He reminded her of a young boy who was trying to convince his friend he really didn't have a crush on that girl in the back of the class. He was always so much fun to tease.

Sakura fell back into his couch and pulled her legs underneath her, feeling more at home than in her own house. "You haven't changed so much, even though we've known each other since we were kids. You're still so shy. I don't see you acting that way when you're with the customers. Even the pretty ones."

"The pretty ones are scary. It's better to leave them to someone like Zabuza san. IS he still working part time at your school for their swim team?" Juggo reappeared with a cup of water for her and a mug of milk for himself.

"Yeah. How often does he come into work at the hole?"

"Every other day."

Sakura sipped her drink, smiling at how her friend looked so much like a child with a mustache of milk sticking to his skin. He caught her giggling and quickly wiped away the evidence, blushing furiously. It was then when she started to laugh out loud.

"Please Sakura, stop treating me so much like a kid. You act as if you only see me as a seven year old," he whined, his blush cooling down to a light pink, refusing to disappear completely in her presence.

Though he would never let it leak out to anyone other than his journal, (it's not a diary!), he really wished Sakura could see him as the older man he really was. For some reason he kept acting like a clumsy kid in front of her. He didn't want that. He wanted her to see him for the age he really was. A young man that could date and take care of her. He wanted her to see him, not as the childlike friend she always did, but as the man he could be for her.

"I'm sorry, but you were too cute." She spilled tapping a corner of her lips. "You missed a spot."

"Gosh, you act just like a mother hen."

"I'll take that as a complement then."

Juugo's mom was a nurse at the hospital that spent most of her free time with potential husbands so she was never really home. Ever since Juugo's father died six years ago, she's been a workaholic, finding the presence of her son too painful a reminder of what she lost.

That was around the time they met. It was a few weeks after the funeral Sakura ran into him, his nose buried deep in the pages of a history book on ancient Rome. It was his only escape. He loved to escape.

"Do you remember when we met?"

Juugo smiled, nodding as the memory resurfaced.

-

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale  
Her infinite variety; other women cloy  
The appetites they feed; but she makes hungry  
Where most she satisfies: for vilest things  
Become themselves in her, that the holy priests  
Bless her when she is riggish.

**Enobarbus,** scene ii

-

"What are you reading?"

The young boy who stood taller than any boy his age should looked up, a bit frightened. "A...a-a-a a book."

The young girl gave him a weird look, but nodded in acknowledgment. "On Rome?"

Juugo looked down at his sneakers, blushing at the unwanted attention. He pulled his book up higher and hid his face behind it, hoping she would go away if he couldn't see her. "Yeah..."

"It's about Mark Antony."

He look up, sparing only a peep over the binding. "Yeeessssss."

"Do you like Mark Anthony? He's not all that great, you know," she commented with the air of someone older than she should have been. Seriously, how did she even know about this guy at her age? Wasn't she suppose to be into dolls and pony rides?

"Why do you say that? He was a good guy!"

"No he wasn't!"

"Yes he was!"

"Nuuh."

Who did she think she was? Who was she to insult his hero? "...What do you know? You're just a little girl."

"You're just a little boy," she pointed out, flicking her finger in his direction. She seemed arrogant for such a small girl.

Juugo reddened, a bit embarrassed. He was not being one to talk back by nature, though there is always a first. "Yeah, but I'm two years older then you. I know because my dad knows your dad. I should know cause my mom knows your dad. I'm older, and so, you must respect your elders, meaning you must respect me."

Sakura glared hard. "No."

"Well...cleopatra was a bad person too!" Her eyes widened and then narrowed instantly at his words. As soon as those hardened emeralds locked onto his own orbs, he was regretting his words with gusto. "S-s-sorry..."

The young Sakura sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Why are you apologizing to me? It's true she did have an affair with Caesar and then one with Anthony, even though she was like, suppose to be married to her brother or something like that. You shouldn't take back what you say when you mean it. You'll only be lying to yourself if you try to please everyone like that, so don't apologize."

He looked down, blushing a bit. "Sorry."

"What did I just tell you? You shouldn't lie to yourself just to be polite," she snapped, her hands falling to her hips.

He put his book down, exposing the rest of his flustered face. "I'm not lying. I'm sorry I argued with you, even though I was just saying what I though. I should have communicated in a nicer way. I'm sorry for being rude, but I'm not sorry for saying what I did. Is...that okay?"

Sakura sighed, bopping him softly on the head with the spine of her book. "Baka, you don't say something like that and then ask if it's okay. You do it and believe in what you're doing. Remember than, okay?"

Juugo looked up, a bit surprised to see what she was reading. "Isn't Shakespeare a bit advanced for you?"

"No way, this is one of my Nana's books. She loves Shakespeare and she reds them to me all the time. Last week I read Beowulf, if that means anything to you. Daddy doesn't care. He never pays attention to what I read. But this book is Antony and Cleopatra, that's how I know so much about the guy."

A kind looking woman called out to her son, surprised to see him with the daughter of her husbands friend. She was still dressed in black from the funeral, but she looked like she was handling the death well. She was probably one of those people who would always be at this happy/sad state in their life. They act happy and say they're happy, but there's always a sadness in the back of their minds they don't know about.

"Baby, you wanna come in from some milk and cookie?" She turned to look at Sakura. "You're welcomed to join us as well, if you wish."

Sakura nodded, looking over at Juugo, as if asking permission. He smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her along into the kitchen that was void of mourners, present to express their sympathies for the loss.

His mom poured Juugo and his friend a glass of cold milk, setting out a plate of cookies a friend had brought over. Sakura took a cookie and began to nibble on it, eating it ever so slowly. The orange haired boy stuffed two in his mouth at once, before taking a large gulp of his milk. When he brought the cup away from his lips he was surprised to see the girl named Sakura giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"No-nothing."

"You're laughing at me! What's wrong?"

She giggled some more behind the palm of her hand. "You have a milk mustache."

He felt his face grow hot as he hurried to wipe it away. "That's nothing to laugh about!" he said, but he was thinking something along the lines of how much he liked to hear her laugh.

-

O, wither'd is the garland of the war!  
The soldier's pole is fall'n; young boys and girls  
Are level now with men; the odds is gone,  
And there is nothing left remarkable  
Beneath the visiting moon.

**Cleopatra, scene xv**

-

"Yeah, we haven't changed so much from back then."

Juugo frowned, failing to see any joy in that bittersweet smile of hers. "Is that a good thing?"

Sakura looked down at the empty glass of water in her hands, staring at the tiny droplets that clung to the edges. "I don't know. Back then...there was a lot of stuff going on that I didn't know about. I want to go back to not knowing, to being blissfully unaware."

Juugo leaned back in the chair that sat across from her, a hurt expression coming over him. He knew what she had to live with when she went home and when she went to school even. He did work for her dad and he used to go to the high school she's attending right now. For someone like her, so quiet and shy in front of strangers...it must be hard to get up each and every morning.

"Sakura..."

"I'm not finished. While I do wish to go back to not knowing, to being blissfully unaware, it's not so bad now that I have friends to lean on." She turned towards him and smiled in thanks. That shy, sweet, smile only she could make. "Did I ever say thank you?"

He nodded, his heart dropping and flying at the same time as he watched her eyes relive memories. "I think so."

"Just in case, thanks. Thanks for rescuing me. Thanks for protecting me and thanks for being my friend."

-

Come, thou mortal wretch,  
With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate  
Of life at once untie. Poor venomous fool,  
Be angry and dispatch. O couldst thou speak,  
That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass  
Unpolicied!

**Cleopatra,** scene ii

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* * *

Ja ne

Vesper chan


	6. As you Like It

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. Aside from the eventual Naruto and Kiba. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:Lady Hanaka for her awesome fanart and attention.

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

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**As You Like It**

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_Under the greenwood tree  
Who loves to lie with me,  
And tune his merry note  
Unto the sweet bird's throat —  
Come hither, come hither, come hither!  
Here shall he see  
No enemy  
But winter and rough weather._

**Amiens,** scene v

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"And so the sweltering summers that had chilled to harsh, harsh Autumns, froze in their bitterness, like a lamb's heart at the slaughter," She whispered to the wind, pulling her oversized hoddie closer to her chest, wincing at the taste of December winds rushing down her throat when she coughed.

Christmas was over and the new year was fast approaching, with only a few more hours to go. Of course this meant her mom was having a huge party at her house while her dad hosted one at the bar he worked at. Neither environment was appealing or inviting in the least. She knew there would be hookers and drinking at either place and of course the usual drugs that everyone seemed to want her to try.

She'd rather freeze outside in the cold than destroy her body like that.

As she guessed, most of the shops were closed, letting their workers leave for home early, most likely to party be irresponsible (in her opinion). There were a few places along the road with their lights still on, but they weren't the kind of places Sakura wanted to be seen in.

In one of the doorways a woman with a dress slit up to her thigh laughed at her and called out something Sakura refused to hear. A older man pulled her away and closed the door with a gruff tone, chiding her for talking to street scum or something else of that nature.

The girl with frayed pink hair pushed up her glasses and pulled her hood further down her face, remembering how the first person she met on the street thought she was a guy. With her height, she though that was impossible, until she remembered the super thick boots she was wearing to protect her toes from the cold. They gave her a good four inches to stand on top of putting her just below the average height of a guy. And of course, she was so flat the doubt never seemed to exist in some people's mind that she was a male bum, looking for something to eat or sleep or possibly drink until she died of alcohol overdosage.

A particularly nasty cough made her stop in her tracks and hack into the wind, not liking the sound of bile jumping around inside her lungs. She seemed to get mildly sick easily all her life. She was sort of grateful for this since she couldn't remember a single instance in her life when she was so sick she had to stay and rest in bed. No, the sickness always manifested its self in coughs and runny noses and headaches that never seemed to be too serious.

The neighborhood Sakura lived in was dark and dirty, practically perfect for the kind of business her father was and dirty. this town was perfect for those who wished to keep their dealings under the counter and away from the eyes of authority. So of course a neighborhood like this one wouldn't have anyplace decant open at this hour, so Sakura had to walk all the way over the other district to rest and warm herself up some heated facility.

Of course she had a place in mind.

Hanafuda Art Exhibit was an art museum that was always open to the public, no matter what the time. A large portion of the exibit was outside, but a smaller part of it was held inside where there was heating and benches to sit in. In Sakura's mind it was perfect place to rest. Art and heat, what more can you ask for?

Sakura stopped a moment to catch her breath and hack into the wind once more, feeling her heart burst against her chest as her lungs grew sore and raw. She doubted anyone who saw her on the other side of their windows would worry or care about her well being, so she had little worry of having someone come out to her. You wouldn't believe how high the rape and kidnappings levels were now a days for young women.

Regaining her breath, she picked up her trek once again, this time with longer strides. It took a long time, but eventually she was outside the main entrance, struggling with the glass door's long, black handle. It was cold from being in the wind so long, numbing her fingers at the mere touch.

Why did they make these doors so heavy? Weren't artist's suppose to be....delicate?

"Gah," she breathed in relief slipping in. She heard a chuckle and looked up to see a young black haired youth behind the desk. He seemed to be around her age, maybe a year or two older. He looked up with what Sakura would call fox eyes, crinkles in delight, his smile so obviously fake.

"You sick or just incredibly weak?" he asked, in what Sakura though was a mocking tone.

Of course, the smart thing would have been to just get away from this sort of guy and enjoy the art, keeping silent all the while. "T-that's n-none of your b-business," she stuttered, blaming her half frozen brain for her ignorance. She was about to say something else when a violent sneeze interrupted her train of thought.

"I take it, you're sick."

She looked up glaring with tears of embarrassment pooling at the corners of her eyes. "N-no, that's not t-true."

"Whatever you say," he sighed, looking away with closed eyes. "It's not like I care. Ugly men are so uninteresting."

_'Did...he...just call me... an ugly man?' S_akura thought with a stunned expression very evident on her face. Ugly wasn't anything new to be called by other people, but an ugly _man_? That was new...and on some level... insulting. She was used to insults, of course, but to be mistaken for a guy was a pretty low blow to her pride.

He caught sight of her expression and smiled once again, his expression as fake as ever. "Please don't make that sort of expression. I'm not into guys so you shouldn't be disappointed."

"W-what?"

"But I'm sure there are some people out there with weird tastes, so don't be put down. No one is completely hopeless."

_'And he thinks I'm gay. Just what exactly is wrong with this guy, insulting guests like this? Dose he have any form of shame to be saying such rude things to someone like me? It's a wonder he ever got a job here, even if it is on New Year's Eve.' _

"You should get your eyes checked," Sakura whispered, not brave enough to make her retort audible as she turned her back on him and began to make her way down the hall of framed paintings.

"Hey, wait. What are you doing going down that way? There's only crap down that way."

"I don't care, it's none of your business!" Sakura called over her shoulder, a bit annoyed that he would go on to insult the art after making fun of her appearance.

Sai cradled his pale head in his open palm and watched the irritated teenager stomp down the hallway that was filled with older paintings that were nothing compared to the modern art that was displayed in the opposite direction. "I wonder if I said something that offended him."

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All the world's a stage,  
And all the men and women merely players:  
They have their exits and their entrances;  
And one man in his time plays many parts.

**Jaques,** scene vii

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Deidara cursed, slamming the door behind him as he stomped up to the front desk where Sai was waiting for him with that painfully fake smile of his. Sometimes the blond wanted nothing more than to stick a few firecrackers under that smile and see how well it held up.

"What the hell is your problem, un?"

Pulling his earbuds out, Sai continued to smile, his expression failing to change. "What is the matter with you birdie?"

"You know bloody well what the hell is wrong! Stop acting like such a smart ass."

"I am sorry, but I don't see why you are so angry."

Deidara stemmed, turning a light shade of red in anger at the man behind the counter, standing in front of him. "You got me stuck with midnight duty. Didn't you bloody know it's New Year's Eve? Didn't you know I had plans for a firework display in the park, you dumb ass?"

"That is illegal, birdie."

"Shut the hell up. You think I would care? You should know by now I don't give a rat's ass what the law thinks or wants." Sai looked away, glancing down the hallway that the ugly teenager had trespassed down only minuets ago. He wondered if that ugly guy would hear Diedara screaming.

It was likely.

"Since you are here, I'm heading home to celebrate with family. I hope you have fun with the paintings and sculptures, birdie. Please do not forget to stay until your replacement comes at five. It would be bad if you wandered off before your shift ended like you did last time."

Deidara cursed once more under his breath as he watched the tall illegitimate Uchiha come out from behind the counter, carrying his oversized leather coat, lined with rabbit fur. Sai looked down the hallway that consisted of crappy art and then down at his coat mulling over his most recant thought.

"Why are you staring at your stupid coat like that, moron? Nothing is wrong with it," Deidara sneered, moving behind the counter and taking his own coat off. He tossed the dear leather jacket over his shoulder, letting it fall over the side of the swivel chair.

"There is no significant reason. However, I was considering lending it to that boy that just went down that hall. He looked sick and cold. He was not properly dressed for weather such as this. I do not need such heavy coverings, be he does. All he had was a baggy sweatshirt."

Deidara scoffed. "Just take your jacket and go. No one wantsyou here. I bet you insulted that poor guy and made him feel horrible."

Sai _almost_ looked concerned. "That was not my intention."

"Well you're an idiot. Get lost, un."

Sai turned over his shoulder to stare at Deidara with no expression evident on his face. "Are you not insulting me now? How is that any different from my pointing out his ugliness? It's not an opinion, it's a fact. He looked too much like a girl to be manly.

" Really, was there anyone else out there that was stupider than this guy while retaining an IQ of something close to two hundred?

Deidara smacked himself in the forehead, squeezing his eyes shut and cursing his fate to be accosted with such an idiot. "Sai, you know you have a problem telling between genders, right? Did it ever occur to you that this guy, _might_ just happen to be a girl? You remember Haku right? Just because someone looks feminine or masculine in the face doesn't mean all that much."

Sai faintly remembered his first encounter with Deidara, mistaking the sculptor for a manly woman. Deidara had not been too happy with his first nickname being '_bulldyke_'. Sai shook his head. "No, he was to flat to be a female.

"You just told me he was wearing a baggy sweatshirt. Don't you think if someone was really close to being flat chested they could hide it with something like that?" Deidara paused, waiting for his words to sink in with the fellow artist who had social problems.

"I supose..."

"Damn, you're helpless. How did you ever survive for these eighteen years?" Deidara raised his hands in protest when Sai opened his mouth to explain"Don't open your damn mouth, you moron. I was being sarcastic, that wasn't a real question, gosh..."

"Fair enough. Now, I had better leave. Yamato is expecting me," Said explained, donning his jacket and stepping outside, not noticing how Deidara flipped him the bird behind his back. Another reason for the male's chosen nickname.

"I hate that guy,un."

-

No sooner met, but they looked;  
No sooner looked, but they loved;  
No sooner loved, but they sighed;  
No sooner sighed, but they asked one another the reason;  
No sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy.

**Rosalind,** scene ii

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Sakura leaned back into the metal bench, staring up at the painting before her. A masculine female dressed in man's attire sat on the uprooted root of a great tree with a piece of paper in her outstretched hand. Another paper rested on the root behind her, most likely a twin of the one she was holding. Her cheeks were rose and her expression serene. Just looking at the painting seemed to calm Sakura down.

The caption read:

**Rosalind by Walker Macbeth (British, 1848-1910)**

"Pretty girly for a guy, un?"

Sakura looked up to see a feminine male with long blond hair staring down at her, his hands resting against his hips lazily. A bit confused Sakura chose to remain silent until she decided how to respond to this total stranger.

He looked her over once more and than broke out into a smirk. "Sai was an ass for assuming you were a guy. Sorry you had to hear him. That guy is an idiot that doesn't know what he's talking about. You're defiantly not a guy, un."

Sakura stiffened a little bit, getting ready to run for it if she needed to. He sounded dangerous. Images of her father and his play girls flashed though her mind. Sometimes she could hear their screams all the way upstairs. it was another one of the darker secrets that she would have liked to keep out of her head. Her innocence was so far away, it wasn't even funny anymore. Maybe that was one of the reasons she was a Erotophobia / Genophobia.

He looked a bit startled to see her so far on defense, most likely thinking him one of those _bad_ people. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have startled you like that. My name is Dediara. I'm friends with Sasori. I think you might know of him."

"...H-how do you know S-Sasori san?" Sakura asked, meekly.

Deidara smiled. "Oh, we're old friends, but we're both artists and he works here part time as well. Do you know him?"

She paused, deciding weather she should answer or not. She didn't know anything about this guy and yet, he knew she was a girl and that she somehow knew Sasori san. "Y-yeah...he goes to my school. I don't know h-him very well though. N-not personally."

"Really, you go to the same school right?"

Sakura mentally cursed her decision to wear the jacket that had her school's logo on its armband. Even if it was the only one that could keep her remotely warm, she should have put something over her arm to cover up the school's red flame logo. "Y-yeah...I-I guess so..." Her answer was little more than a whisper.

"There's only one girl that I know of that has pink hair in that school. Sasori told me about her a few times." He cast her a sly sideways glance, grinning a bit at her stiff form. She was kind of cute when she was scared and embarrassed. "Would you happen to be the infamous Sakura chan he won't shut up about?"

"No!" she cried, standing up suddenly, glaring at him heatedly. Her fiery, emerald gaze held for about fourteen seconds before a rather violent cough forced her to double over and lean against the bench for support as hack shook through her petite body.

Deidara was surprised and a bit frightened as she continued to cough on her knees, leaning against the bench. She looked really sick from where he was standing. "Hey, hey are you really okay?You don't sound so great. Should I get you some water?"

She shook her head, adding to her dizziness, waving him away. She didn't want his help.

Ignoring her warning, he picked her up (against her choked protests) and carried her over to the water fountain and forced her to drink. "Drink, it'll help, un."

Sakura nodded weakly, a little dizzy from being picked up and moved so fast. Why was it so hard these days to stay healthy? "Th-than-thank you."

Deidara nodded, looking her over for any obvious wounds that could have happened when she fell against the bench. Her jacket was long sleeved and baggy, just like Sai had described it, so it was hard to see if she hurt an injury. "Are you really okay. You're not hurt or anything? I think we have a first aid kit somewhere around here if you need it."

"I'm f-fine," Sakura whispered, looking away and trying to put some distance between her and the blond male who was still a stranger in her eyes. Even if he was friends with Sasori and even if he did help her when she needed it, (she blushed at the memory of being carried by him to the water fountain), he was still a stranger that she just met.

"Do you like Shakespeare?"

that caught her attention.

"What?"

"That painting you were looking at. Did you know who it was of, un?" he asked, pointing back at the painting of the woman on the tree Sakura had been staring at.

"Yeah, that zRosalind, the Duke's daughter in the play As You Like It."

He gave her a weird look. "I never could get those books. What's the story about?"

She nodded, this time a bit more open. "In France there is this guy named Frederick who has taken the territory of the Duke and exiled his older brother, the Duke Senior. Anyways, the Duke has this daughter, Rosalind who has been permitted to remain at court because she is the closest friend of Frederick's only child, Celia. They are also cousins, of course. There's this guy, Orlando, who is a young gentleman that falls in love at first sight with Rosalind. He's forced to flee his home after being persecuted by his older brother, Oliver. He's kind of like a bad guy in the beginning."

"You mean he's a good guy in the end?"

"Shh, let me explain, Sakura cut in like a mom scolding a child.

"Sorry."

"Yeah, well, Frederick becomes angry and banishes Rosalind from court. Celia and Rosalind decide to flee together accompanied by the jester Touchstone, with Rosalind disguised as a young man that why she's pained that way in that painting," Sakura explained, pointing behind her to the painting hangging on the wall of the woman dressed as a man.

"Ah, that makes sence now..."

"I thought it would."

Deidra nodded, pausing briefly. "Yeah...but...."

"What?"

"What happens after that?"

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It was a lover and his lass,  
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino!  
That o'er the green corn-field did pass  
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,  
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:  
Sweet lovers love the Spring.

**Pages,** scene iii

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I'm ready for Christmas! Woho, the radio stations are already playing Xmas music.

Okay, for the next chapter, I would like some feedback on who should be featured with Sakura. Please drop a review and tell me who you want to see next.

Ja ne

Vesper chan


	7. Othello

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it. If I owned Naruto, you would know about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. Aside from the Naruto and Kiba (in this chapter!). I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:...my brother

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

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**Othello **

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_My story being done,  
She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:  
She swore, in faith, 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange;  
'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful.  
**Othello,** scene iii_

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Spring was easily her favorite season, with no strong competition showing up anytime soon to prove such a truth false. Sure, school stared up again, but if she was given the choice, she would choose school over her home any day. Her parents were fighting about money again. Either one could be as unfaithful as possible and neither would care, but when the issue of money came up, the gloves were off.

Sakura was glad she wasn't there when they were fighting.

Pushing up her glasses she moved down the hallways with everyone else and found her locker. The smell greeted her before the sight. She took care to not be in the way when she opened the door and wisely avoided the pile of rotten food that spilled out. She checked the inside of her locker and was satisfied to see that they had been stupid to seriously damage any of her books. They stank a bit, but it was nothing she couldn't live with.

She pulled out the ones she would need and closed the door shut, taking care to lock it agin with the same combination that they knew. She would have to ask for a different lock soon. This one would be too easy to break into for them. Still, how had they managed to come across the combination?

The smell of the rotting sandwiches at her foot made her sigh with exhaustion, knowing it would be left up to her to clean up. Thankfully, she was prepared for this sort of thing and carried a plastic bag around with her belongings. Actually it was in case she got sick from her dysmenorrhea and had to throw up in a place that didn't have a toilet, but it would work for this as well.

She cleaned up the mess as quickly as possible, never paying any mind to the stares sent her way. There were few, most people being to busy with their own chores and choices in life to be distracted by someone like her. So imagine her surprise when a pair of hands cut into her vision to help in her cleaning.

"E-eh?" She squeaked, looking up with a small blush.

"You act like it a weird thing to help a girl when she's in trouble."

Sakura looked up at her helped and tried to remember where she had seen him before. "K-Kiba san?"

The said boy blushed at the sound of his name coming from her lips. Why did he feel so dirty and why was he so flustered. All she did was say her name... in a very attractive way. "Y-yeah, that's me. Glad to see you remember me."

"You returned me book."

"I did?" he asked, using the opportunity to look up at her face.

She nodded. "Mmmhum. It was my Shakesspear book, Othello. I remember that. Thank you agin," she said with a bob to her head that let her glasses fall down the length of her small nose. She paused to push them back up with the back of her hand.

"It-it was no problem. Don't mention it."

She smiled, finishing with the mess. "V-very well then, but I fell I need to thank you for helping me with this. I normally have to do this by myself and...I-it was nice to know someone cared enough to help," she added in a hushed tone while looking away. "S-sorry."

He stood up following her. "What? There's no need to apologize. I was happy to help!" He paused and then looked over at her her locker, guessing it was the one that smelled like rotten sandwiches. "Anyway, who would do something so mean like that. It's not normal. You should tell a teacher and see if you can get moved."

Sakura shook her head looking down. "T-t-there's no need for that. I'll just get a new lock. T-then everything wi-will be fine."

The warning bell rang, making her jump. Kiba cursed it's awful timing. He finally got to talk to Sakura chan and he hadn't made a huge fool out of himself yet. The chances of that happening again were like..., a thousand to one? Why did the bell have to ring now?

"I guess I had better get to class, she whispered, turing in the other direction.

"I'll walk you!" he hastily replied, scrambling for an excuse to stay by her side a mere minuet longer. Never mind that his class was in the opposite direction. His teacher wouldn't mind him being a few minuets late when it took her an extra three minuets to settle down her extra noisy class. Sakura chan was worth this much. He had been watching her ever since she transfered and was jumping for a chance to even talk to her.

"R-really?" she asked, with a light blush of pink t her cheeks.

"Of course, I think my class is this way anyway," he half liked. He did say **think**. There's no harm in such a small white lie, is there?

"O-oh, thank you."

He chuckled rubbing the back of head as the two of the made a bee line for her class room after dumping the rotten foods in a trash can. "Don't mention it. You're still getting used to this school or are you pretty much good here? It took me a while to settle in."

She smiled, hugging her books to her chest in the cutest fashion. "I think I'm used to it now. B-but it all looks the same."

"Yeah, that is tricky."

The second warning bell screamed, begining the one minuet countdown till class started. Most of the hallways emptied.

Sakura stopped outside her door and bowed politely before going in. "Thank you again, Kiba san."

"Y-you're welcome Sakura san!"

-

Think'st thou I'd make a life of jealousy,  
To follow still the changes of the moon  
With fresh suspicions? No; to be once in doubt,  
Is once to be resolved.  
**Othello,** scene iii

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Sakura's last class of the day was wrapping up and the students were free to leave once they were finished with their tests. She had to be careful not to make too much noise in packing up, lest she disturb those who were still working on their tests. She remembered when she was in their position, she hated it when the early finishers were deliberately loud, finding it amusing to distract those slower than her.

It was rare for her class to end so early, (twelve minuets) so she was pretty much alone in the hallways. It was a strange feeling to be in such a large place like the main hallways and still be alone. Maybe she should have triple checked her answers or something.

'It's not like I'm the first one done, so why is it so quiet?' she though, turning a corner.

She squeaked quietly and hurriedly backtracked behind the corner to hide herself. No wonder the hallways were so empty. The seniors had skipped the last period to beat up some kids who was obviously much younger, for whatever reason.

The only one she recognized at a glance would have to be Hidan and Kakuzu. Neither of them were very active in the beating. Hidan being there only to get hit and Kakuzu to pick up the loose change after the fighting had ended. They were the only ones out of the four man team that seemed worthy of her notice. Everyone in the school pretty much knew about them. They were some of the oldest students in the school, having been held back a year or two for some strange reason she didn't know about.

Hidan and the others who were doing the beating, stopped when Kakuzu said something. They backed off, and allowed the older man to steep in and collect the fallen pocket money. He grumbled something she couldn't hear and stood, pocketing the change. Hidan cursed something rather loudly, earing for himself an insult by the older male before he walked away. The other seniors who Sakura had failed to identify trailed behind the two silently, speaking to themselves.

Once they were out of sight, Sakura darted, tripping only once, to the fallen boy's side to see if she could help in any way. Kneeling down beside him, she couldn't help but wince at the bruising and cuts that were already more than evident. Still, the six whisker like scars on his face were evident enough to identify him in her eyes.

"N-Naruto san?" she called hesitantly, her voice no louder than a whisper. "Naruto san, can you hear me?"

He moaned something and shifted, refusing to open his eyes. He must have been beaten for a long time, she thought.

Biting her lip, she dropped her book bag by his own and made an effort to slide him onto her back. It was a lot harder than she thought it would have been, considering she was shorter, lighter, and female. He weighed a great deal more than her. Still, she had somehow managed to get him into a position that she could drag, while still walking upright-if not considerably bent.

She couldn't help but say a prayer of thanks for the nurse's office being so close to where she had found Naruto. Much more of his weight on her back would kill her. Unable to bring her hands away from his shoulders-lest he should fall, Sakura kicked the door instead of knocking with her hand.

"Shizune san, I's my Sakura. Please open up!" she called.

She didn't have to wait long for the wiry woman with dark hair to open the door. Shizune was friends with Sakura, having known the girl since she first transfered. Sakura was always friends with the nurse thanks to her problem with Dysmenorrhea. A problem her parents didn't even know about.

"Sakura chan, what the-oh my," she gasped. "Naruto kun's hurt again?"

'Again, has this happened before?'

"Can you please help me with him, he's bleeding all over my shirt and I don't know how much more blood loss he can take," Sakura hurriedly explained, shuffling into the small room with three empty beds and a desk plus a small bathroom. This place was like another home to her, already.

Shizune helped Sakura with supporting Naruto and between the two of them, Naruto was safely transported to an empty bed. Sakura gasped, sucking in air after the heavy haul. Shizune rubbed the young girl's back, soothingly. "Don't worry about this guy. He heals faster than anyone I've ever treated. He'll be back to getting into trouble in no time. Sakura chan, are you okay. Your breathing sounds labored."

Sakura shook her head, having a hard time answering with words. "F-fine..."

Shizune helped Sakura over to the other cot and helped the girl settle down before going for the needed objects that Naruto's injuries required. Living in a school that had so many fights, Shizune was a master nurse, you could say. In seemingly no time at all, he had the younger boy bandaged up.

Feeling hands waver over his face's cuts, Naruto began to stir. "Ne-neh?"

"Naruto kun! You're awake already. You weren't even out for five minuets...or maybe you were. I didn't know how long it took Sakura chan to drag you in here," shizune exclaimed, oming over to his side with a cup of water he sipped at lightly.

Still a bit out of it, Naruto could only nod and murmur something that sounded like 'oh' before falling back into his pillows. The dark haired nurse watched the younger boy like a hawk, waiting for the reaction she knew she was going to get out of him once her words settled in.

It didn't take long, in the next instance, Naruto shot up into a sitting position to grab her shoulders hold her still. "WHAT?!" he screamed, shaking her a little as his face erupted in a dark red blush that could rival the shade of a ripened tomato.

Shizune couldn't help but giggle at his expression in regards to Sakura's name. Whenever Naruto would come into her office to be treated for injuries, he would always talk about the pink haired female he still couldn't talk to. No matter what he was in for, sooner or later, Naruto would end up talking about Sakura and what he saw her doing that day. Never mind how much he sounded like a stalker, his nurse would sit still and listen to everything he had to say until he was discharged.

"Should I call your parents to pick you up, Naruto kun? You look well enough now."

"Never mind about that, whad did you say about Sakura chan? Was she here?"

"Nope," she said watching his expression fall into gloom. "She's still here resting up in the bed next to your own if you want to thank her. She can probally hear everything you just said, too. Isn't that right Sakura chan?"

Sakura pulled back the light blue curtain separating their beds and looked over at Naruto, who was in the process of inventing a new shade of red. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better Naruto san. You were hurt a lot but you're still so lively." She giggled softly taking on a look of self pity. "I get exhausted over the littlest things. I envy your for your strength and endurance."

While it was true that Sakura could be a skilled and strong fighter when she wanted to, that only happened when she was not very aware of it. if she focused her mind on fighting back or defending herself for no reason, she froze up and weakened herself. She was only strong when reflexes kicked in before her knowledge. Apart from that, she got tired easily and liked to rest and read more than anything.

"S-S-Sa-Sa-Saku-ra ch-chan!" he stuttered out. "H-how long have you been there?"

Sakura rolled her eyes up, looking towards the ceiling as she though. "Ummm, ever since I carried you in here. I don't know how long that has been."

"Y-you brought me in here?" Naruto asked, his tone taking on a note of awe.

Sakura nodded, sitting up in bed and reaching for her glasses on the nightstand. "Yeah, that was me. Sorry I couldn't be any faster, I'm such a wimp."

"Don't say that! I think Sakura was very strong and very brave to even help me! I owe you a lot of thanks."

Sakura blushed, looking down at the glasses in her hands, turning them over and over as she flustered with embarrassment. She wasn't used to being praised or thanked by people her own age. "I-it wasn't anything special. You don't need to t-thank me."

"No-no, it was something really special. We...um, we don't know each other too well do we, so I was really surprised and really glad that Sakura chan would go out of her way to help someone like me. Not that I want to sound rude or anything, but you always looked so shy that I though-um...I-I'm sorry. It's just that you've made me really happy. I've wanted to talk to you for a while now, but I'm really stupid when it comes to introductions."

Sakura smiled, feeling at ease with someone who stuttered and blushed as much as Naruto. "It's okay. I have a tough shell, so you don't need to worry about offending me. I know you mean well, Naruto san."

Shizune came up to the pair with the phone in her hands, smiling at the pair. "Naruto kun, I called your parents and they should be coming here soon to pick you up. Sakura chan, I can take you over to my place if you want. You still can't go home yet, can you?" she asked with a soft tone to her voice. She knew what went on in Sakura's home.

"Why can't Sakura chan go home? Are her parents not there?" Naruto asked, oblivious as to how tender a subject this was.

Sakura flinched and looked away.

Looking between the two, Shizune tried to level things out in a way that Naruto could understand while keeping Sakura secret. It was a tender issue for the pink haired girl, primarily because it was an issue she couldn't fix. "It's too early in the day for Sakura to go home, so she can either stay with me or I can drop her off at a friend's house. Juugo san might be available if it's an off day for him, right Sakura chan?

"Then Sakura chan can come home with me! My parents will be there and I was going to have some friends over anyway. Would that be okay with you, Sakura chan?" he asked turning towards her. "My mom would really like having a girl over, since all my friends are guys. It'll be fun for you, I promise. Even if you can't or don't pay video games, there are tons of other things we can do to have fun."

"I don't..think I could-"

"It can be my way of thanking you for helping me, too! Please Sakura chan. If you don't have anything else to do!"

Sakura looked from Shizune to Naruto-looking for an escape. There was none she could take without offending Naruto. Sighing with down turned shoulders, she nodded her reply. "Yeah, I guess I could do that..."

Naruto pumped his fist into the air, amazing Sakura that he could be so energetic after being a punching bag to the seniors, and whopped loudly. Shizune chided him about being so loud in a resting place, finding it hard to be angry at an injured student.

When Naruto's parents came to pick him up, they reminded Sakura of a couple cooing over their first born baby. Naruto was a bit embarrassed about how much they fawned over him in front of the girl he liked. Like he had suggested, his mother was instantly taken with the Sakura, cooing over how adorable the shy, green eyed girl was. She insisted on her coming over to 'bring some feminine peace to a brutal den of men' as she so elaborately put it.

Looking at it like that, Sakura couldn't possibly refuse.

That was the first of many invites she received not only from Naruto, but from his parents. For some strange reason, they seemed to want her over as much as possible to spend time with their only son.

_'I can't believed my son has such great taste in girls_,' though his father after having spend several dinners with Sakura. '_She'll make a fine daughter in law.'_

-

I kissed thee ere I killed thee, no way but this,  
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.  
**Othello,** scene ii

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**AN2**:/My brother who is a pianist broke his finger and had to have surgery on it. He's bummed about having to miss his concert because of it.

Ja ne

Vesper chan


	8. 12th Night

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it. If I owned Naruto, you would know about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:...All those who took part in my contest and Dieter Dengler. If you don't know who he is, look him up on youtube.

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

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**12th Night**

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Conceal me what I am; and be my aid  
For such disguise as, haply, shall become  
The form of my intent.

**Viola,** scene ii

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Throughout the school year Sakura's friendship with Naruto and Kiba continued to grow. The same could be said for Shikamaru who would often go through the bother of dragging her out of the study halls to go cloud watching on the roof with him. Sometimes she would come up on her own, but most of the time he had to pry her away from her schoolwork-something he didn't do dispite his high IQ.

Through these friends of hers she met a boy named Gaara, who was anything but friendly to her at first. He said a total of two words for the entire first week of their meeting, though when it came to Naruto he seemed to open up a bit more. Sakura was okay with that, knowing that some people had their issues and needed to come out of their shells on their own time or at their own pace. Rushing it would only make things worse.

So she gave Gaara his room and continued to remain friendly and inviting whenever she greeted him in the early mornings. It wasn't until she caught him reading Princess Diaries in the back corner, (where no one **ever** went), that their relationship really took a turn for the better. Of course he threatened her at first and tried to deny it and claim it was the wrong book, but Sakura just laughed and told him she could keep a secret. She ended up lending him the ones the library didn't have and then that's when he really started to take off.

"I don't think so, that's way too complicated. I mean, didn't he already break up with her?" Sakura asked, working through a math problem while leaning up against a bookshelf, sprinkled in dust.

"Tenten doesn't like the reason he gave her and refuses to let go," said Gaara, playing with his shoelaces. He was sitting on the floor across from the pink haired girl who was still working on her math, her notebook spread out across her lap.

"But Lee is head over heels for her! Doesn't she care about him?"

"She's still in love with Neji, it seems."

"Why did Neji break up with her?" Sakura asked, looking up briefly.

Gaara shrugged, staring back with unblinking eyes. "That's the fuzzy part. He said it was because he was in love with someone else, but wouldn't give Tenten a name or even a clue. Rumor has it that he's just using that as an excuse to get rid of her. Dating her was making it difficult to be friends with Lee, it seems."

"Who do you think Neji is in love with?"

"Personally, I don't think he has feelings for anyone, male or female." He smiled at the disgusted face Sakura adapted and almost laughed when she pretended to gag. "I think he just made up that lie so he could dump Tenten, not because of Lee, but because he's doesn't want to be with someone who's been caught making out with Asuma."

"Asume?" Sakura exclaimed, looking up with surprise written all over her face. "But he's married and has a kid!"

"Yeah, but this was all ancient history, when she was just a freshmen, before he had his kid. He was still engaged, but that didn't make a difference to Neji, it seems. From the few times I've hung out with him, that came up once and I could see it really disgusted him. The incident with Ino and Ebisi really repulsed him, too. He's an old fashioned kind of guy, so I can see where he is coming from with this."

"Still...poor Tenten. Maybe she will have a change of heart and date Lee."

Gaara snorted and Sakura glared at him through her worn out glasses, before pushing them back up the bridge of her nose. He chuckled, earning for himself a pouting Sakura who was not enjoying being made fun of. At least with Gaara she knew he didn't mean anything cruel by it. "What? It could happen."

"Yeah, but I could get killed by falling coconuts too. Word has it, Tenten is going after Sasuke to get Neji jealous."

"Doesn't he have a fan club to stop that?"

"They know she isn't a real threat, so they leave her alone, plus she's friends with Ino so it's a like having a free pass there."

Sakura frowned at Ino's name, but didn't say anything, she just closed her binder and slipped her mechanical pencil back into it's place beside the other in her binder. Gaara noticed though, and it was enough to sap the lightness from his body and bring him back to earth.

"Is she bothering you again?"

Sakura wasn't looking at Gaara when she answered. She wasn't even looking in his general direction, since she had her back to him while she put away her binder in her messenger bag, making sure to take her time with zipping up the sides. "No, not really, just the usual stuff."

Gaara's eyes narrowed and his fingers curled into a fist. "Then that means she _is_ bothering you."

"Didn't we tell you to speak up if your are getting bothered?" He saw her pause in her work for a while before she finally turned back around to face him-eyes downcast. "Why didn't you tell us anything Sakura?"

Her head was bent, and Gaara couldn't really see her eyes. "If I told you, you would do something wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

Her nose wrinkled, pushing up her glasses. "Gaara, have you not seen Grand Torino? Don't you know what happens when you instigate the bullies like that? Sure you think it's great you stopped me from getting shut in my locker, but that just means they get to toss me in the garbage dumpster next time they see me. If you really wanted to help me with this, call me something rude when Ino's in the hallway."

"I would rather stop you from being bullied at all."

"That's what I'm afraid of. If I let things stay they way they are, she gets bored of me and tends to leave me alone, but if you guys act up, that's just giving her what she wants. Nothing I can't handle will happen unless one of you guys steep in." She looked up real quick, her cheeks flushed. "T-th-that's not to say I'm not grateful to you guys for offer to help, because I am, really! I just..."

Gaara sighed, cutting her off with a pat to the head. "I understand. You don't have to get so worked up or flustered. If it ever gets to bad, though, you're not allowed to hesitate to tell me. If you do, I won't forgive you for a hundred years."

Sakura grinned, her ears turning red at her friend's words. "I'll make sure to live really long, then."

Gaara looked her over once more with soft eyes that recognized so much of himself and his childhood in her. A childhood of screams and emotional abuse as well as physical. Blood and bruises and words that would haunt longer than the scars that spread over her skin like a dusty cobweb. He could feel one right now, slithering along her scalp from broken glass, years and years ago.

"You had better." With his hand still on her head, he ruffled her hair, earning for himself a protest and slap to his wrist.

-

'T is beauty truly blent, whose red and white  
Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on:  
Lady, you are the cruell'st she alive  
If you will lead these graces to the grave,  
And leave the world no copy.

**Viola,** scene v

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The late spring winds brought with it the scent of dying flowers and a promise of a burning summer. There were a few loose flower petals gathered in the corners of the street, turning frail and brown without the step to provide them with the nessiary life. Little things like this should have bothered her, but Sakura could help but turn her face away and adjust her glasses so that she couldn't see anything under the frame of her glasses.

A large building loomed in front of her.

Sakura looked down at the ticket in her hand, looking it over once more just to make sure she was reading it right.

**MIZU AQUARIUM  
Two Day Sale!**

**Admit One **

Kisame had given her a ticket to the aquarium a few days ago and said he would try to go with her if he could get out of swim practice, but it looked like Zabuza was being a demon again with swim practice. So that's why Sakura was alone, standing in front of the doors with her wrinkled ticket in hand. She would have liked it more if Kisame was with her, but there are some things you really have no control over, and the demon of the mist swim instructor was one of them.

Walking in, she handed her ticket to the woman behind the glass and passed through the turning gates, hearing them slide and click back into place, locking behind her. In the front of the building there were some tanks set up with sand and a bit of water for a large family of hermit crabs and other such creatures. One had a turtle in it that looked up at her for a long time before sticking it's head back in it's shell once a group of kids ran over to it.

Smiling, Sakura decided to move away from the front and head towards where the fish were kept. Almost instantly, the reflected lights seemed to spill over her shoes in hues of watery blue and green. Sakura stepped under an arch and looked up as a rather large fish passed overhead, swimming as lazily as it could. There were others too. Angel fish and Bengal Loach swam by in mass and Sakura saw a few Congo Tetra dart around, looking for a place to hide.

There was a separate room to her right with benches in front of it, filled with regular koi and butterfly koi. The tanks weren't very high so most could stare down and look at the koi as the swam down and underneath the glass floor that many people stood upon.

"Wow... So cool," she breathed, watching as a rather orange 16'' kikushi koi passed beneath her stepped aside to watch it more closely, not taking notice of the other occupant in the room who had been reading up until she had walked in.

"S-Sakura san?!"

The called girl looked up quickly, her glasses falling down the bridge of her nose at the sudden motion. "Yes?"

Haku stood up quickly, dropping the book he had been reading when he heard his name being called in her voice. Seemingly oblivious to his discomfort, Sakura reached out for the book he had been holding and smiled slightly when she saw what it was.

"You dropped your Shakespeare," she said, holding it out to the feminine looking boy.

That seemed to snap him back to reality. "O-oh...th-thank you Sakura san," he replied, taking back his blue covered book.

Sakura's eyes lit up when she heard him call her b y her first name. True he had done this once before, but it was really hitting her now that she got to see his face. It was the face of a stranger for her, so of course she would be curious. "You know my name. Have we met before?"

His stomach did a flip flop when she met his eyes and he nodded, to try and hide that. "Sort of. We go to the same school and I see you sometimes in the hallways. W-we don't have any classes together because I'm a year above you, but a few of my friends know you and they sometimes mention you, so I feel a bit too familiar with you. I am sorry for that, if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"Oh, no." She shook her head. "That's perfectly acceptable, I don't mind if you address me that way. Sorry if I gave off that impression. Will you tell me your name then?"

He offered his hand and Sakura took it, feeling a bit more at ease with someone who read twelfth Night. "Of course, my name is Haku. I'm on the swim team with Kisame. He talks about you sometimes."

Sakura's face lit up with recognition. "You know Kisame?"

"Yeah, he's the shark of our swim-team and I guess that's why my dad's so tough on him."

This caught Sakura by surprise. "You're dad is Zabuza Momochi, demon of the mist? The swim team captain?"

Haku laughed making Sakura feel a bit awkward. Maybe she shouldn't have called his dad a demon, since it's used as an insult most of the time. Perhaps it would be best if she just say sorry quickly before his good nature fades. She opened her mouth to utter an apology, but was cut off when he spoke up first.

"Yup, that's him and I can't deny his nature. It's okay if you call him a demon, since it pretty much true. You should see him when I forget to clean up my room."

"Is he really that bad?"

"No, not really, he only gets really worked up when sports are involved."

Sakura nodded, slowly, looking around her instead of at the taller male in front of her. He said it was okay, but she still felt weird for her earlier comment. Her eyes wandered back to the glass floor where more and more koi were gathering. Haku noticed her fixed gaze and followed it, trying to see where it landed. He smiled when he saw the brilliant display of Japanese fish. Of course someone beautifle like Sakura would be attracted to something like that.

"Do you like koi fish?" he asked, his voice still holding onto that note of hesitance that always seemed to jump up whenever Sakura was mentioned.

It wasn't as bad as when he had first seen her by the fountains right after she had transfered. She had been washing something off her face that looked like egg and her glasses were cracked. She should have looked sad or depressed, but she seemed so calm, doing what she needed to in order to get her face clean again. It was only when she was with other people was she shy and insecure. When she was alone she looked calm and serene.

That's what he saw in her when he first spotted her that day almost a year ago. And it didn't hurt that she had such an elegant face when it wasn't hidden by glasses and shadows. Plus it was when wet he first saw her! Droplets looked like diamonds in the right light, and they seemed to cling to her lashes like precious stones.

She nodded, frowning when they disappeared behind a rock formation. He frowned seeing her disappointment. He didn't like seeing that for some reason. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and tugged her towards him, She tripped a bit, but he kept pulling her, guiding her out of the Koi room. She 'eeped' a little, but didn't say anything as he led her to another room in the aquarium. All the same, he found it in himself to explain.

"There's always fish in this room and they're really colorful. You'll like it in here."

Her face lit up as clown fish, regal blue tang, moorish idol, and damselfish. It was one of the more colorful rooms with a tank overhead instead of underfoot. A yellow tang zipped past her when she put her hand to the glass, like she had seen many others do.

"That's so cool," she exclaimed, looking over at him. "You seem to know a lot more about this place that a first timer like me. You come here often?"

He grinned bashfully, nodding. "Yeah, I have a year pass. It was a present from my dad for my birthday. I come here a lot and I know the whole place by heart, mostly. Would you like a grand tour?"

She grinned back. "Why not?"

And so he showed her the sharks, sea turtles, blowfish, lobsters,sea horses, lion fish and crabs. He took her outside where they had the dolfins and the smaller whales and showed her where they kept the baracodas, even though she told him she didn't like them and was happy with no seeing the fish that at Nemo's mother. The last place he had to take her was dimly lit, cut off from any light outside that the creatures in the tank produced for themselves.

In the darkness the luminescent forms of lazily floating jellyfish reflected off the glass and cast shadows over Sakura's face, no longer bright with joy.

Haku noticed this when she didn't say anything to him after they first came in. Normally she would comment on the room and then fall into conversation with him, but in this room she was silent. He looked over at her and saw that she had removed her glasses and was staring at the jellyfish with a seemingly drunken expression. She raised a pale hand to the glass and trailed her fingers after the venomous creature. She looked like she was somewhere else, calm yet not at ease.

"How beautifle..." she breathed, seeming to ignore everything and everyone around her. Something was different about her tone of voice. It was distant and... melancholy? Behind her fingers the fish floated on and upwards.

"Sakura?"

She didn't reply at first, but when she did, she didn't look at him. "You know what these remind me of, Haku?"

"If I say no, will you tell me?"

She stiffened and recoiled, as if she was just coming to her senses after a daze. Haku saw her eyes clear and grew curious as to what she was about to tell him. Her stunned expression melted away into a softer one. Fingering her glasses, she pushed them pack into place and looked away from the tanks. "Ah, it's nothing. I think I should get going, it's later than I though it was and I need to get home. I guess I lost track of time.

She moved past him, ready to leave when he grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Wait!" She turned back to look at him when setting off fireworks in his gut. "Won't you tell me what you were going to...about the jelly fish. What do they remind you of?"

She smiled at him briefly before moving her eyes back to the box jellyfish in their tanks. Her hand broke out of his and she took a step away from him, but he didn't chase her. Right before she had left, she had answered his question with something he didn't expect.

'Death'

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If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.

**Fabian,** scene iv

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So much blood...

"Muh-mom?!"

Too much blood...

"Dah-dad?"

It's her blood.

"S-some-one?"

All her blood...

"He-lp...meee."

Was covering her eyes.

"Please..."

"Till she couldn't see."

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_A great while ago the world begun,  
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain:  
But that's all one, our play is done,  
And we'll strive to please you every day._

**Feste,** scene i

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There you go. An update, sorry it took so long, I know I'm a bad person.

As always, I'm going to ask you to review, even though I know it's such a selfish thing to ask for after making you all wait so long. But I wanna see if you can tell me what the name of Nemo's mom is. Here's a hint, it stars with a C.

PLEASE REVIEW

Vesper chan


	9. The Two Gentlemen of Verona

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it. If I owned Naruto, you would know about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:...All those who took part in my contest and voted on having another one in December. 70 for, 5 against, 10 undecided. I'm looking forward to that and I'm glad you are, too.

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

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**The Two Gentlemen of Verona**

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I have no other but a woman's reason:  
I think him so, because I think him so.

**Lucetta,** scene ii

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Darker than crimson, there were small rivers running down the sides of a woman's mouth. Glassy blue green eyes stared up at the celling, seeing nothing in death. There was small droplets of blood across the bridge of her nose reminding Sakura of the effects a suddenly stopped paintbrush had on an empty canvas. There was so much blood...

"Muh-mom?!" Sakura croaked, shocked and surprised to see life stolen so suddenly right before her eyes.

She took a steep forward before falling to her knee, making the puddles of blood rise up around her knees. The halls were starting to stink from the flesh and the blood of both her parents as well as herself. She was in a narrowed space, but it all seemed to be spinning around her as her body gave up its lunch at what she saw. There was too much blood...

"Dah-dad?" she choked, yellow colored vial dripping from her lips from a malnourished lifestyle. That was his fault, but even with all he had put her through, she had never wished for his death. Never! She was better than that, even if he had come to beat her that night.

She hugged her sides as the room swayed again and her fingertips felt wet with something. It's her blood.

There were noises from behind and in front of her at the same time and she though there were more sounds from the left and right sides as well. It sounded like someone was coming for her on all sides. "S-some-one?" she called out, scared and tired.

She stood up and backed away from the bloody scene only to fall backwards onto her rump. Her body hurt and cried out in protest. She tried to stand again but the room was spinning again and her head felt like it was breaking apart and falling in pieces to the floor. She reached up to hold her head and from her fingers all her blood was there for her to see.

There were footsteps and she though she though she saw someone, so she called out. "He-lp...meee."

Her blood was covering her eyes in the absence of her now cracked glasses, but she could still see that man staring at her with a blurred face and an expression she couldn't determine. She didn't know how, but something in her told her this man wasn't here to help her like she had hoped. It wasn't Juugo sneaking over for a late night chat or one of her long gone girl friends. He was a man tall and dressed darkly, the smell of death clinging to him like a desperate parasite, defining him. Was he here to kill her too, like he had her parents? She didn't want to die. Death was scary and large and not something she could look at unaffected.

He took a steep towards her and she turned away, trying to put more distance between them, memories of previews for horror thrillers flashing through her mind. _Oh Christ, oh God, oh please,_ she silently prayed while her lips trembled in an attempt to form words. He was coming closer and closer to where she limply sat, blood smeared over her face. "_Please_..."

The room trembled and her head screamed loud and louder, scrambling her already warped vision till she couldn't see.

The Killer stood in the doorway with a blade, triple pointed downwards. He took a steep towards Sakura as she crawled away from him in frantic, jerked movements. Sakura couldn't properly scream, the air all gone from her lungs. She tried to stand, and bolted for the stairs, but her legs gave out on her and then she was falling, tumbling over herself and across the downstairs floor, picking up pieces of jagged blood in her side. Her head hit the side of an empty china cabinet and it rocked before falling down on her.

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She is mine own,  
And I as rich in having such a jewel  
As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl,  
The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.

**Valentine,** scene iv

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Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

When Sakura awoke, the first thing she noticed though her fuzzy tunnel vision of early morning consciousness, was that she was not in her room anymore. Her room was not bleached white, but rather happy and perky shades of yellow and pink. She tried squinting to get a better look at her surroundings, but she wasn't wearing contacts and her glasses were no where to be seen, so everything was a blur to her.

Reaching out into the murky whiteness, she felt along her body for something-anything that could give her a clue as to where she was. There was something wrapped around her finger and stickers attached to strings over her chest and forehead. No, those weren't strings, but rather wires, and that thing clamped over her finger was attached to one as well. She lifted her arm, and found a IV taped in place where she would bend her elbow.

"A hospital?" she coughed, shifting as best as she could.

She grunted when a pain shot down her leg and traveled all the the way to her thigh. Looking up she saw that her leg was raised above the rest of her body in a sling of some sort and wrapped in an extra hard structure. A cast...

"I don't remember breaking my leg, but then again, I don't remember much of anything... What was it that happened to me?"

She tried to recall the happenings of the day before she fell asleep, but all she met with was murky thoughts that skipped around her in a teasing manners. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she still couldn't grasp it. All the same, it seemed that those memories were avoiding her with good reason. Whatever it was that happened, the weight of it all was holding her head down and making her thoughts choppy and unsorted.

There was rustling in the bed beside her, but Sakura couldn't see who it was since there was a curtain dividing their two beds. That person grabbed a fistful of the curtain and pulled it back, exposing himself and his side of the room to her sight. "So you're awake now are you?"

Sakura's eyes bulged and she almost choked on the spit in her mouth. "Ka-Kakashi sensei?!"

He waved, seemingly unaffected by the position they were both in. "Yo."

Sakura felt her lips part and pull back together as she gaped at him like a dying fish, her cheeks and ears reddening in embarrassment. "W-What are you doing here?"

He smiled from behind his flu mask. "Funny story, now that you ask. I was mining my own business and walking down the street on my way to class when a black cat crossed my path. I stopped to avoid it and guy on a bike didn't see me, so he sort of ran me over and didn't even apologize."

She gasped, lifting her hands to cover her lips, not caring that on wrist was in a much smaller brace. "That's terrible! How did you get tot he hospital?"

Kakashi sweat dropped, snickering a bit to himself at how Sakura always seemed to so easily believe his lame excuses when they were so obviously false. She had always been like that, as far as he can remember-even going so far as to stick up for him when he whole class shouted out and called him a liar. Now that he thought about it, she was probably the only respectful girl in his whole class. No wonder he faked an injury to get out of work.

"Me get here? Huh, well I don't really know. Maybe a really kind person saw me on the street and decided to pick me up or call a doctor up on my account. I don't know."

Sakura smiled softly at her teacher, even though she couldn't really see his face well. "I'll be praying for your quick recovery then, sensei. Have you been ill very long?"

"Nope, just a few days."

"Oh?" her head tilted slightly to one side as her eyes narrowed and then widened in an effort to see more clearly. "But I thought I saw you yesterday in class. You were teaching, weren't you? How could you have been here in the hospital if I just saw you yesterday?"

Kakashi blinked in surprise, seemingly stunned by her words. His expression wasn't as care free or as loose as it once was. If anything, it showed his concern for her. "Yesterday? Sakura, how long...No. What day do you think today is?"

"Today? It's Wednesday, isn't it? There is a test in English, isn't there?"

Kakashi didn't say anything at first, he just held her gaze, even though she couldn't see him clearly. Finally he spoke, his voice a tone lower and more focused than she was used to. "Sakura.... today is Friday..."

Two days off wasn't anything too be all that worried about, but something in Sakura's gut made her shiver and tremble. What Kakashi said and the way he said it had her feeling frightened. "So... you-you're saying that I've been in this hospital asleep for two whole days?"

He smiled, but it was a smile of pity, and Sakura was grateful she couldn't see him clearly all of a sudden, least she learn the truth in his expression. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but you're wrong. You've been in the hospital for three weeks, not two days, all the while in a coma."

-

That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man,  
If with his tongue he cannot win a woman.

**Valentine,** scene i

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Later that day, after a nurse had come into check on Sakura's improvements, a few of Kakshi's friends came in to check in on him and his 'cute little student' that he seemed to show a particularly uncommon favor for. Kakashi was known for hating kids, so to go as far as giving himself food poison (twice) just so he could be in the same room as her had really surprised a few of his friends.

They _**had**_ called ahead to warn their friend, but Kakashi though that eighteen seconds wasn't a fair amount of time to allow such a warning to set in.

"Did you miss us, Kakashi sensei?" Gemma taunted, skipping into the room with a bulk pressed under his arm. Once inside he opened his jacket to pull out a bottle of high quality rum. He didn't notice Sakura twitch at the sound of glass hitting the counter surface.

"Aren't visiting hours over soon?" Kakashi grumbled, trying to keep his face blank as three more men filed in.

Guy, Asuma, and Shisui each paid their friend a personalized greeting before pulling up some sort of chair to sit on around his bed. Asuma took the end of the bed, Guy and Gemma had the normal plastic chairs, leaving Shisui to stand between the two beds.

"We got an hour or two before the nurses kick us out," Asuma chuckled, waving an unlit cigaret.

"My eternal rival seems dishearten by our presence. Could this be intimidation, Kakashi?"

"Hardly."

Genma perked up and chuckled cunningly when he spotted Sakura in the bed behind the half drawn curtain, looking over at the group. "Well, well, well, what do we have here, is this the infamous Sakura chan we keep hearing so much about."Kakshi cut him a glare. "Oh excuse me, is this the _Haruno_ Sakura we keep hearing so much about?"

"She just woke up, I would appreciate it if you didn't harass her in her bed before she's fully healed, Genma," Kakashi replied, his tone warning.

Asuma who was also a teacher, smiled and waved from on the other bed. "Hello Sakura."

"H-hello Asuma sensei," she replied, stuttering a bit as her cheeks and ears heated up. She couldn't see any of them very well except for Shisui, who stood right next to her bed, so she lowered her gaze a bit.

"Geez, what are you in for, a broken leg and fractured wrist it looks like," the young Uchiha joked in his good nature, trying to put the young girl at ease. He settled down to sit beside her on her bed causing her to look up. "I would hate to see the other girl that tangled with you."

Sakura giggled a bit at his joke.

Kakashi didn't like the way Shisui was watching Sakura, studying her like a long lost relative or forgotten love to a family member. His expression had a certain '_So this is her'_ type of look to it. Kakashi knew the Uchiha had a sort of odd relationship with Sakura's birth mother, but judging by this guy's reaction to Sakura, Kakashi could only suspect that this supposed relationship between the descendants went deeper than he or Sakura knew about.

"Hey Kakashi, you had better watch out, it looks like Shisui is beating you in your cradle robbing, though he's so much younger than you so I don't think it really counts as-"

Kakashi cut him off with a good whack to the face with his favorite book, his own physiognomy pointed in Sakura's direction, seemingly blank of all expression. But if you knew Kakashi, you could tell his expression wasn't really blank. Guy was the first one to pick up on this, but he kept quiet for his friend's sake, knowing that the teacher's ties with the Haruno girl ran deeper than he was willing to admit.

Shisui, happy with Sakura's positive reaction to his comments, went on to strike up more of a conversation of the girl. Asking her about school, special activities and food. "So, when do you think they'll let you out of this place, Sakura?"

"I-I don't know...m-maybe in a week. My leg is mostly healed since it was a clean break, and I can get by with my wrist in a brace so there's no real reason to stay here." Sakura looked down at her hands and tried bending all of her pale fingers, finding that in its self an easy enough task.

"When you get out, make sure to let me know and I'll take you out to celebrate." Shisui didn't see Kakashi's expression slightly darken.

Sakura reddened once more and she held up her hands, or at least tried to hold up both hands but only succeeded with the one, and waved it in front of her face. "O-oh, n-no, thank you, but that's not nessiary. I'll be really behind in school work and need all the time I can get to catch up with it."

"Eh, even one day? Kakashi and Asuma are some of your teachers aren't they? They'll give you a break for some R&R, won't they?" he asked, looking over at the two.

Kakshi smiled, happy to have some power at last. "Sorry, but six weeks is a lot of time and schoolwork is something Sakura can do while resting. Taking her out will just exhaust her, so it would be better if you eave her alone to her work."

The Uchiha smirked, rolling his eyes in a cocky manner that made Kakashi's smile fall like lead. "Tch, I should have known not to ask a teacher. Never mind them, Sakura. When they're not looking I'll fine some way to sneak you out."

"Suishi," Kakashi warned, his voice low and dark.

"Hey Sakura, have you ever been to a drive in theater? I have to take you some time. Good thing about that is you don't need to get out of your car, at all. You can sit back and rest that leg of yours." He leaned in so the his face was closer to her ear, sending her cheeks a flame with a red blush. "We just need to sneak out when Kakashi's not looking."

"I think it's time you all leave, visiting hours are over," Kakashi all but growled, his expressionless mask breaking.

Shisui looked up from being so close to Sakura and sighed. "Fine, fine, I guess we're being a bother to an old man in his well advanced years. We had better leave, but before then..." reaching into a bag he had carried in with him, he brought out leather bound book and handed it to Sakura. The title was printed in gold and clearly read **The Two Gentlemen of Verona**, even for Sakura's poor eyes. "I heard you liked Shakespeare. Here is something you can use to pass the time with."

"For me? Thank you very much!" she exclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it. I'll see you around then, you too Kakashi. Get better soon," he called from the door, following Asuma and Gemma out. Guy was saying his goodbyes when the Uchiha was turning the hallway corner. He stopped to look back and saw a a nicely dress man with a bouquet of multicolored flowers in his hands. The man was looking towards Sakura's door, his body language expressing hesitance. Shisui caught the man's eyes and before he could ask anything, he had dropped the flowers by Sakura's door and was gone, down the hallway.

-

O heaven! were man  
But constant, he were perfect.

**Proteus,** scene iv

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* * *

There you go. An update.

So who do you think it was that came into her house and killed her parents? Yes, it's a real character. I wanna see if any of you can guess. Give me your best shot, here's a hint, he hasn't shown up in this story yet, (at least I don't think he has) but he is in the manga. Not a very good hint, huh? Still, if you go back a re-read his description, you might get a better hint. You guys are smart, so I have faith in you.

PLEASE REVIEW

Vesper chan


	10. Love's Labors Lost

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it. If I owned Naruto, you would know about it.

**AN**/:The play opens with the King of Navarre and three noble companions, Berowne, Dumaine, and Longaville, taking an oath to devote themselves to three years of study, promising not to give in to the company of women — Berowne somewhat more hesitantly than the others. Berowne reminds the king that the princess and her three ladies are coming to the kingdom and it was suicidal for the King to agree to this law. The King denies what Berowne says, insisting that the ladies make their camp in the field outside of his court. The King and his men comically fall in love with the princess and her ladies.

**Dedication**:...All those looking forward to December when we will be having another Sakura sort of contest!

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

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**Love's Labours Lost**

**"To do good to one's enemies is ****love's labours lost**."

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Having sworn too hard-a-keeping oath,  
Study to break it and not break my troth.

**Berowne,** scene i

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Moving on her own, Sakura shuffled down the hall in her hospital slippers with one hand coiled around the metal pole holding up her IV pack, and another holding on the wall for balance. Her hair had been pinned up by one of the nurses and a pair of extra glasses with her prescription lenses had been found out of the mess in her house. Her skin was still pale from the blood loss, but nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Soon it would be a healthy peach color with all the good food Hospitals were not credited with having. Even if she was this sore she was taking great pains not to look it.

One of the nurses who had just come out of a patient's room saw Sakura moving down the hall on her own and smiled to herself. The small girl was trying so hard despite the heavy cast around her leg and the many smaller bandages placed over simple tear wounds in the flesh.

Two weeks and a half after waking up, anyone would say she was doing well for someone her age. Truly, when some of the nurses saw how thin and malnourished she was they doubted how well she would recover without the needed nutrients and vitamins, but she recovered all the same. Almost as if her will was enough to move her crippled form out of bed, she shocked and wowed them all.

"Look at her go, Akio," the nurse whispered to her coworker. "Isn't she just a doll?"

"She is, and I feel so sorry for her, loosing her parents like that and ending up so broken. You know she used to do ballet?'

"Oh no, poor dear. You think she will be able to go back to it?"

"Those bones of hers took it hard, only time will tell if the physical therapy will work. I have to run now, another call for room fifty three, that boy's giving trouble again."

"Oh, I feel so sorry for you."

Sakura closed her eyes and opened her mouth, breathing in and out that way so she wasn't distracted by the idle chatter of the female nurses. She knew what they were saying, even before they said it and it bothered her every-time she heard it. They didn't know about her family life at home, so they had no right to say anything about her being poor for her loss, if anything she was happy she was alone for once. They didn't know if she wasn't going to make a full recovery, so they should stop taking in tones that held so much pity. It was almost as if they were expecting her to fall over and snap her spine in half and be bed ridden for the rest of her life with a silver spoon and bell to ring for her servants.

"Ugh..." she hissed, feeling her heart throb in pain as if being pressed against the side of a sharp rib. Fingers wet from sweet slipped down the metal pole and her knees bent forward, stressing under her weight. But as soon as it had come, it was gone, faded and distant in memory. "See? it was nothing to be worried over... nothing at all."

Turning her eyes back to the way ahead of her, Sakura struggled onwards, determined to use her body after so long a rest in bed. She was hungry for movement and tired of confinement. She didn't like being restricted to her bed and trapped in a room with only one way out. She wanted to be out in the open and under the sun beams. How rare was that for her after so many years of a cage like house and mucked up windows?

The older doctor who had preformed surgery on her saw her on his way down and smiled at her, quickly telling her to take it easy and not strain her leg even if it was mostly healed. She smiled back and told him he didn't need to worry before thanking him with a small bow and a blush.

Her glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose and so she had to put all her weight on her hold to the IV pole to push them back up. Silently flustering with semi curses, she scolded herself for looking down so much. She needed to look up more often and not be such a cheesecake. Yeah, once she completed this lap around the floor she would go back to bed that much stronger, and then they next day she would do it all again, striving for more.

"Yoshi," she whispered to herself with a newly kindled resolve; a resolve that hadn't even existed in embers before the accident. With that in mind, the timid little dust moth flapped her wings and started forward. The dust around her old cocoon was settling for good and she would never upset it nor return to it in fear.

With her back to the long hall, she never notice that nurse run out of room fifty three calling out to the doctor something about a missing patient.

-

And I, forsooth, in love! I that have been love's whip;  
A very beadle to a humorous sigh.

**Berowne,** scene i

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Knowing she couldn't drag her IV up with her, Sakura slipped the plastic tube out of her arm, wincing as it stretched the flap of skin before going up the few steeps to the roof. If she didn't know better, she would have guessed that they built those extra steeps just to stop patients from walking up to the exposed area. The door was a heavy push one, and she had a hard time opening it, failing two or three times before she was able to stick her foot in the crack and slip in through the crack.

Rooftops were her favorite place to be she mused to herself, remembering all the time she had snuck up to the school roof or climbed up her own to make it look like she wasn't home. Too bad Shikamaru wasn't nearby, otherwise she would have asked him to go cloud watching with her.

There were several clotheslines set up with large white bed sheets hanging over them like trapped ghosts against the wind. The smell of laundry detergent and softener seemed to remind Sakura of lavender, and she didn't doubt that, that was what the cleaners were scented.

Reaching out she grabbed a piece of the sheet and held it in her hands, letting it fall over her palms and fingertips. It slipped out of her hold and she reached for it again, pulling it further back, only to drop it and gasp, her heart jumping from her chest. Thinking she had imagined it, she stepped forward and pulled back the sheet again.

"What are you looking at, shorty?" the grumpy young male snapped, pulling the white sheet tighter around his body. He was sitting down on the cement floor with one of the bed sheets wrapped around his body and over his head in a protective manner.

Thinking about it, Sakura was sure she knew this guy from her school. Not personally, because he wasn't the type to go out his way for people like her, but through others she recalled him to her memory. "S-Suigetsu? What are you doing here in the hospital, I thought you were on the swim team?"

"That's really none of your business, four eyes," he snapped, glaring at her.

Smiling softly, Sakura pulled back the sheet far enough to let her through and hobbled over to his side. He protested of course, but she ignored his words and sat herself down with only minor difficulty thanks to her leg.

"What are you doing? Did I say you could sit there?" he snapped, obviously annoyed. His annoyance only increased when she refused to answer, instead staring up at the lightly clouded sky. "Oi, four eyes, I asked you a question! Can't you hear me or are you hard of hearing too."

"I heard you," Sakura replied, a quiet, calm smile in place as she turned to look over at him. "I just didn't think it was nessiary to answer. It's obvious I'm sitting down next to you."

"And who told you that was okay?"

"Me!"

Suigetsu made a face and huffed in agitation. "You're really more of a nut case than I give you credit for. I don't know what Haku and Juugo see in someone like you. You give me a headache just by being here, you know."

"Is that why you are in the hospital?"

He growled this time. "I already told you, I thought. You don't need to know so stop butting into by business."

Sakura didn't answer immediately and so he thought she really had given up and intended to leave him alone, but Suigetsuwas wrong, she was just waiting till the right cloud drifted across her sky to start talking. "I knew... or at least my parents knew your parents. Your dad was a regular at the bar my dad ran and I know about your mom too, so I can only imagine what your life was like. Probably not much more better than mine, considering how much alike our fathers were. Am I right?"

The pale boy drew his blanket tighter around his body and dipped his head so that she couldn't see it behind his long bangs. He didn't feel like answering, but she could still feel his anger and annoyance seeping out.

"His name was Keiske, wasn't it? Kei something or another...I can't remember. He came over once to visit, but it was such a long time ago."

"...Ch, if he came for your dad why don't you just ask him what his damn name was,"

Sakura tore her eyes away from the sky and saw that Suigetsu was glaring at her now, no longer hiding his face. Even if all she could see of his face were his eyes, she would still notice the anger he was holding onto, it was that evident.

"Maybe I would if I could." She looked away and closed her eyes on purpose, removing her glasses. "But, don't you think he would be a bad person to go to and ask that sort of thing if he was friends with your dad? My father is the reason I am in this hospital, after all... or at least one of them."

His hard glare softened a bit and suddenly Suigetsu felt bad for reasons he couldn't explain. He had instantly judged her as soon as he saw her, thinking she was there for something minor like a tip or clumsy accident. (She seemed like a klutz to him.) It hadn't really occurred to him that she might be healing at the hospital for the same reason as him. If their dads were friends it wouldn't surprise him if Sakura's dad beat her like his dad beat him.

"But..." Sakura sighed, drawing his attention to her once more. "Even if he was a kind man, it's impossible to get a dead man to talk, so asking him would be really pointless at this point." She turned to him and showed him her bitter smile. "Don't you think so."

"If my dad died I would be happy," he replied, feeling a bit jealous.

"Maybe I am. I... don't want to say it because it makes me feel disgusting and heavy, but I did hate my those people who watched over me like parents. I'm glad, so very glad that I'm free, but at the same time I feel sick to know that they are dead. It's so stupid, but that's how I feel. Like I actually had a chance at changing them..."

Suigetsu grew nervous when he heard her voice break and saw the glossy sheen that covered her eyes. She looked like she was about to cry and that was something he really did not know how to deal with. girls in general were a drama case all the time in his eyes, so he avoided them in general, but when they started to cry he tended to run for the hills.

But Sakura didn't cry. She clenched her jaw, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting a shaky breath into her body. When she opened her eyes again she looked older and more so tired than before she had closed them. With her better hand, she reapplied her glasses and turned back to smile at him. It wasn't her best smile, but at that time it seemed like the best she could do. "So yeah, that's me and my story. I"m in room forty nine if you ever want to visit, okay? I'll be discharged soon so everyone is waiting till I'm released to see me for the most part and it's really lonely. I would be happy if I had some company."

"Cheh..." he breathed, turning away and pulling the cover down further.

"I know it sounds cheesy, but I've dealt with what you are going through and I know what it feels like. I'm not going to say something like you talking to me will make it all better, but it will make it a little less... little less bad."

"I don't need your help," he growled, recognizing her words. He was pulling into himself once more, running away from those pitying people.

"I know you don't. But **_I_** still do, I'm just a girl after all."

Suigetsu looked up quickly, searching for her, but she was already halfway to the door. He debated with himself over it, but when she opened that door-with difficulty-he stood. She turned back to him and waved and then she was gone.

-

For where is any author in the world,  
Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye?  
Learning is but an adjunct to ourself;  
And where we are, our learning likewise is.

**Berowne,** scene iii

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Suigetsu didn't come to see her later that day, and he didn't come the next day, but that was okay with Sakura, because that was what she was expecting from a tough guy like him.

Looking up over the rim of her book, Sakura stared at the door, hoping she would see something that would explain the noises that keep coming from it, but once again there was nothing there. Seeing that, she returned to the pages of **Love's Labours Lost** before growing tired.

With her eyes too strained to follow the neatly printed pages, she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes while sighing heavily. Folding her glasses and setting them on top of her book she left them on her nightstand before climbing into bed and laying down. The light was only good enough to read by right under the window, so she couldn't really read from her bed like she would have wished for.

Rolling over so her back was to the door, she wasn't surprised to hear that sound again. She wasn't even surprised to hear footsteps or the sagging of the empty bed next to her own. She wasnt even surprised when Suigetsu started to speak.

"My dad's name is **KICHIRO..."** There was sthe sound of more fabric shifting and Sakura guessed he was scooting himself back further onto the bed, but her back was still towards him so she really couldn't be sure of anything like that.

"My mom died when I was eight and that's when my dad really got screwed over. He didn't know how to deal with her death and just went south, acting like he was a new and totally different person. Everything she wanted him to be and everything she taught him was gone... like he never wanted her to exist in the first place. The person you though was my mom was probably his date. He doesn't have girlfriends, just dates."

Sakura didn't say anything, just pretended she was still sleeping.

"When I was nine he started beating me... it was sort of around the same time he started going to the bar your dad owned too, so for that I sort of hated you when I found out who's daughter you were. I though you would be just like your old man and I never stopped to think that you were actually more like me; a victim. So I guess I should apologize for that and I should thank you for talking to me, but I still have my pride or at least what's left of it, so I'll keep my thanks and my apology and just act like nothing never happened. I never met you and I never hated you and I never did anything to deserve reprimanding for. So... I'll see you in school then?"

Sakura waited long while before replying. "Yeah...I get out tomorrow."

"Cool... then I guess I'm good. See ya around, Sakura."

She heard him push off from the bed and hurriedly turned around in time to stop him. "Suigetsu!" he stopped and turned towards her. "A word of encouragement... even if someone hates and close their hearts to the world with the intention of never loving again, it turns out more often that not that they are the ones that fall the deepest into love. So don't give up on the old man, not while he still lives."

If it had been anyone else, Suigetsu would have punched them for saying such a thing or storm out fuming and cursing, but because it was coming from Sakura he seemed to actually take it to heart. Maybe she was trying to warn him to not make the same mistakes she did or at least not have the same regrets.

"Thanks Sakura, I'll see you off tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Suigetsu."

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As sweet, and musical,  
As bright Apollo's lute, strung with his hair;  
And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods  
Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony.

**Berowne,** scene iii

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* * *

There you go. An update.

Miss Chocolat-bless her dear heart-has been bugging me like a pain in the neck to update something, so please thank her for this chapter because she is the only reason I have taken time away from my school and NaNoWriMo novel to write anything for my fanfiction account. My life has been busy like you wouldn't believe and my family is plannin another long trip away so I have to get all this crap done before that and just little things in life keep dragging me down. The best thing a good author can have is a good kick in the rear end for motivation. So yes, all credit or at least 99% of it is due to her. I only get 1% for actually typing it.

On a side note, the site must hate me because it locked me out more than once.

But what have you been busy with? I would actually like to hear.

PLEASE REVIEW

Vesper chan


	11. Comedy of Errors

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it. If I owned Naruto, you would know about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:...

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

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**Comedy of Errors**

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A wretched soul, bruis'd with adversity,  
We bid be quiet, when we hear it cry;  
But, were we burden'd with like weight of pain,  
As much or more we should ourselves complain.  
**Adriana,** scene i

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Sakura smiled to herself, pulling out another shirt that was probably too small for her from her suitcase. Her aunt was standing in the doorway, thinking she was being sneaky and staying out of Sakura's eyesight so that she could spy on the younger.

After being discharged from the hospital and passed around by official to official, she was dumped off on the steps of a cute gingerbread styled house with a white picket fence and a yapping dog. At first her aunt and uncle had been opposed to having Sakura stay with them, believing her to be just like her parents, but so far she had not given them any reason to complain. In fact, her behavior was quite the opposite. She used her manners, 'please' and 'thank you,' addressed elders with respect, and offered to help with chores around the house-even cook for them sometimes.

'_My sister was never like that_," Yoko thought to herself as she watched Sakura carefully.

Yoko remembered growing up with a younger, spoiled rotten brat that believed she could do anything she wanted to anyone else and get away with it. She had a _it's my life don't screw with me_ type of swagger while growing up that the parents thought to be cute. It wasn't cute when she ran away from home and started doing her drugs and... other unpleasant things. As the oldest, Yoko felt stressed and partially responsible for a sister she never could seem to get along with. She wanted to help, really she did, but it seemed ever so impossible for her.

Staightening up, Yoko smoothed out her shirt and brushed back a stand of peppered gray, forcing it back under her bun. "Sakura," she called out.

Sakura looked up, pausing in her work to give her aunt her full attention. "Yes, auntie?"

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour. It's just meatloaf and mashed potatoes. If there is something you especially like you could tell me for another night, but please sit down with your uncle and I tonight.""

Sakura smiled, her lips splitting apart to reveal pearly whites. "Yes, of course. A warm dinner sounds so nice. Thank you for preparing it."

Yoko nodded, slowly, trying to not seem too welcoming, but not too stern at the same time. She had a position as head of the household to uphold, because if she didn't keep some order in place heaven knows her husband wouldn't. Still, she didn't want to come off as the mean old stepmother of fairy-tales. She wanted to have a relationship with Sakura-something she hadn't done with anyone new in close to seven years. She was a little old lady hermit, after all.

"Sakura..." she said, her tone a little lighter.

"Yes, auntie?"

"Do you... like meatloaf?"

"I don't know. I've never had it before. I don't think I've even ever seen it to be honest." Sakura stopped speaking and quickly shot her eyes down to the floor, feeling her ears turn hot. "B-b-b-but that's not to-to say that I d-don't think it will be really g-good."

Yoko shifted the weight from one leg to the other, then grinned. "That's fine, dear. Just try it for tonight. I won't force you to eat it if you really don't like it."

Sakura looked up and smiled shyly. "Thank you."

"I'll call you when dinner is ready." Then the older woman turned and left.

Alone once again Sakura looked down at her hands, Her left hand was wrapped around her right wrist, squeezing it tight till the form of the bone became distinct underneath her flesh. She let go quickly and watched the shin turn white, than red, leaving marks behind. Her palms were sweaty, so she wiped them against the sides of her jeans and turned away from the doorway.

She was practically done with her unpacking, most of her clothes had been put away before her aunt had come in and aside from clothing and books, she didn't own much. Her parents never bought her anything, so she had to start tutoring for money and working part time jobs that didn't mind paying under the table for kids too young to really work in light of child labor laws. Sometimes a friend would get her a gift, or her parents would leave money for her when she told them she needed it for school, but for the most part, she had learned to rely on herself and make do with what she had.

The guest room she was staying in had a really nice, four level bookshelf that was mostly empt, housing a few cheep figurines and phonebooks, but nothing else. She would have to wait a bit longer for the rest of her things to arrive from the house.

The state was holding onto everything for her-and would wait a week more for her to claim it all before it was seized. Her uncle Ren said he would take off from work to help her unpack everything there. (He worked Saturdays.) They would have to have a yard sale for all the furniture they didn't want or couldn't fit in the house. A friend or two would help him with that so they could get it all done in one day. They would all do it on a Saturday, since she had a few friends from school who were more than happy to help out.

"Sakura, dinner!"

"Ah, yes, coming!" she called out, rushing from her room and descending the stairs as quickly as proper manners would allow.

"Whoa there nelly," her uncle laughed from the dinner table. "No need to rush there. There's pleanty here for you and we won't start without ya."

Sakura looked down, embarrassed. "Ah-h, s-s-sorry."

"Aint nothing to be sorry for, come an' sit er down."

He laughed again and Sakura couldn't help but feel better at the sound of his voice. There was warmth in this house and there were love in these people, stiff and awkward as it may seem at first, but there was love never the less.

"Thank you."

-

A hungry lean-fac'd villain,  
A mere anatomy.  
**Antipholus of Ephesus,** scene i

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"Sakura chan!"

Sakura looked up from the lime flavored ice pop she was sucking on and waved to the two approaching figures. Her uncle was standing beside her and laughed when he heard the way they addressed her, not only the suffix, but the manner in which the spoke towards her. He was guessing this was the first either had seen of her in a long while.

Sakura slid off the fence and pulled out her pop just as they slid up to either side of her, both were breathing heavy and red in the face from the long run.

"I won," Kiba gasped.

"Bullcrap, I was...the one who won," Naruto shot back.

"Hello Sakura," Gaara calmly greeted, walking up at his own pace behind the two boys.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling without the usual glasses to frame her eyes. Naruto and Kiba were quick to pick up on this.

"Wow Sakura chan, you look so different without your glasses. You should use contacts more often." Naruto beamed at his complement, feeling oh so proud with himself that he beat the other two to the punch. He knew they were just dying to say something to impress her without sounding too obvious.

Kiba shot a glare over at Naruto from behind Sakura's back, cursing the blond with everything he had. He refused to be shown up in front of Sakura by Naruto by all people. Gaara was not nearly as insulting, since the redhead wasn't so much a total dork like Naruto was. If he lost to the blond he would never forgive himself. "Are you wearing any eye make up, Sakura?"

"Huh, n-no. Why do you ask?"

He smiled when she replied to him, that was more than what Naruto had under his belt. Victory. "Nah, it's nothing. I've just never seen you without your eyeglasses, you look good."

She blushed red and looked down, her eyes looking to her sneakers as she fidgeted under his gaze. Complements made her feel all fuzzy and uncomfortable. What was left of her ice pop was starting to drip off the stick but she didn't do anything about it. "T-t-t-thank y-y-you, Kiba san."

Now it was Naruto's turn to glare at Kiba. Gaara, all the while, had been watching the scene with only a mild interest, but he was starting to feel bad for Sakura who was obviously uncomfortable with the two males who didn't seem to care about her modest feelings.

"Sakura," he called out. She looked up and saw as he pointed to the drips of green that were falling from her ice pop. There were three already splattered on the ground. "Your treat is melting. You should hurry and eat it before it melts all over the place."

"Um, thank you," she quickly said before popping it back into her mouth.

"You boys want one two. We have a whole freezer over here of 'em, and I don't think Sakura can go through all of 'em on her own."

Naruto and Kiba didn't waste any time in taking a treat for themselves, thanking Sakura's uncle before taking the first bite. When offered one himself, Gaara declined, claiming that he was used to the late spring heat. He had grown up in Suna, after all.

"When are the others supposed to arrive, Sakura chan?" Naruto asked, gnawing off a huge chunk of lemon.

"The others?"

"Yeah, you know, the mover men."

"Oh, you mean my uncle's friends, they should be here any minute now. It's eight thirty already." Sakura pressed the wooden stick between her lips and wiped off any of the juices that might have remained after finishing the bulk of the pop. She got up and tossed the stick into the trash can close to their trailer and skipped backwards to the fence.

"How many should show up?" Gaara asked, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the fence beside her.

"Two, plus my friend Juugo said he would try to make it here after one thirty. He was busy looking for another job... Speaking of which, thank you guys for giving up your Saturday mornings to help with something as boring as this. It really means a lot."

"No problem, Sakura chan. You know that lazy nut Shikamaru said he would help out as well, but not until he had enough time to sleep. Selfish little twerp he turned out to be. I bet he won't show up until we are all done," Naruto said.

"Probably better that way, Shikamaru would fall asleep on his feet and be _troublesome_," Kiba laughed.

"You guys should talk like that about a friend who isn't here," Gaara scolded. The others just laughed.

Just then a truck pulled up alongside the trailer Sakura's uncle had rented.

"That would be them boys..." Ren said, taking a few steeps towards the truck. "Come on you kids, don't be rude."

Sakura, of course was the first to follow, and that was more than enough to drag Naruto and Kiba along. Gaara rubbed his eyes and took up the rear, stopping at the trash can to throw away his pop stick like Sakura had done earlier.

"Glad you two could make it. Thanks for showing up on such short notice," Ren greeted, shaking hands with the driver who had just steeped out. "This here is my niece, Sakura. Sakura, this is an old friend of mine, Kakuzu and his younger cousin Hidan."

Sakura steeped forward and shook hands with the tall dark skinned man, exchanging polite greetings, never mind that she had known these two in name only a year ago when they had been seniors, but didn't see the other one named Hidan. Just when she was about to ask about it, a tall, very tall, white haired male came around the back of the truck and greeted the group. Sakura turned around and stopped.

_The room trembled and her head screamed loud and louder, scrambling her already warped vision till she couldn't see._

"Hey there," he politely greeted, looking straight at Sakura. His eys were bright and the color of a purple burial shroud, the ones she's seen in churches. There were a million other things that shade of purple, but for some reason, burial shrouds came to invade her head.

He reached out and took her hand, large calloused fingers closing over her own, sending shivers all through her body. He was so big and strong looking, he could probably crush her in a moment if he wanted to. But that's not what unnerved Sakura. No, there was something else about this man that set her uneasy...something she couldn't put a name to.

"Nice to meet you Hidan. Thanks for coming here to help."

"My pleasure," he replied without smiling. His eyes were still staring straight into her own.

Sakura let go of his hand and looked away, towards the boys who didn't seem to notice anything odd about the exchange. Her uncle as well, looked on with creased eyes and a happy smile, completely and totally at ease with everything. None of them felt the uneasy shivering that bubbled within her stomach.

At least that was what she thought until she caught sight of Kakuzu and his oddly perturbed stare. He wasn't staring at her, but at his cousin, seeming to ask the towing man what was going on, because something wasn't normal with their exchange. She wanted to ask him what it was he saw, but her lips were sealed tight and her face felt hot under the late spring sun. She didn't want to ask anything, least not now while everyone else was around them.

"We all aquatinted now? Lets get started then," Ren proposed, pushing up his sleeves and heading towards the storage rooms. Hidan and Kakuzu followed right after him and Kiba and Naruto took off together, determined to do more than the other and impress Sakura. Only Gaara stayed behind with her.

"Sakura?" She looked up, her eyes shaking when her body refused to. "You okay?"

She faked a smile, closed her eyes and nodded. "Sure, it's just the heat."

-

A needy, hollow-ey'd, sharp-looking wretch,  
A living-dead man.  
**Antipholus of Ephesus,** scene i

-

Most of the guys were on the other side of the storage facility, moving the heavier objects such a tables, china cabinets, couches, and chairs out on a dory before strapping them down in either the trailer or the back of Kakuzu's truck. A lot had gotten done in the first few hours, but there was a whole house worth of stuff to be moved so it was expected to take up all of Saturday with only one or two short breaks for lunch and snacks.

"What do we do with the mower?"

"That can go in the truck, Naruto."

"We'll need to strap it down."

"Kakuzu has those, ask him for a few."

"He said he was looking for his cousin and left a few moments ago. I'll go get the straps myself."

Sakura was on her own, being the only female and therefor the only one who couldn't lift/carry the heavy stuff, (who ever said chivalry is dead?), she was busying herself with the smaller items and boxes. What she was really after were the boxes that had her things in them. So far she had only found one.

There was a lot of stuff that had to be unloaded, but now Sakura was just concerned with getting over the mounds of boxes and finding her books. Yes, that was what was the most important to her out of everything she could be retrieving. She actually had a pretty sizable library since more than once she had received books as payment for students who were having a hard time coming up with the tutor fee.

One of the boxes under her foot wobbled and broke, the side tearing off under her weight as she plunged downward. Everything happened so quickly, she couldn't think fast enough to act rationally, so she reached out for anything to grab onto to stop her fall and ended up dragging a pile of unopened boxes down on top of her.

'_No_!' she screamed in her mind right before she hit the ground. The initial impact of her back hitting cement was painful, but it would have been more painful if the boxes had piled up on top of her. Thank god they didn't.

"Damn, that could have been messy," Hidan huffed, pushing the bowes off his bruised arms. "You should be more careful next time."

On her back looking up at the ceiling dotted with lights she couldn't see his face very well because of the shadow. He was so tall he blocked out so much light and suddenly, like a vial tidalwave it all came crashing down on top of her.

_The Killer stood in the doorway with a blade, triple pointed downwards. He took a steep towards Sakura as she crawled away from him in frantic, jerked movements. Sakura couldn't properly scream, the air all gone from her lungs. She tried to stand, and bolted for the stairs, but her legs gave out on her and then she was falling, tumbling over herself and across the downstairs floor, picking up pieces of jagged blood in her side. Her head hit the side of an empty china cabinet and it rocked before falling down on her._

Her heart began to feel terrible and it must have shown on her face, since Hidan saw it. He stopped moving the boxes around and looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oi, are you really hurt from that fall? Can't you get up?" He walked towards her and she felt fire burn her veins.

"Why?" He stopped his advance. "Why... why did y-you do it..."

"Stupid, I wasn't going to let the boxes crush you." Sakura just shook her head, pulling her body across the floor, away from him. Her eyes were wide and close to tears.

"Why did you do it, why did you kill them?" He froze under her gaze and looked away. In her mind Sakura was screaming at him, cursing him with all she knew, begging and pleading for him to deny it, praying he wasn't who she though he was. The killer who failed to finish her off.

He never denied it.

"Why...tell me, why did you murder my parents?"

He crouched down, looked at his knees and rubbing the back of his head. He was closer to her level now and his eyes were shadowed, so she didn't know what his expression was. Was he annoyed that now he would have to shut her up? Was he going to kill her?

"I'm sorry for that, Sakura san. Really I am....I'm so very sorry. I didn't know you were their child at that time, but if I had I don't think it would have made any difference." He looked up at her and she felt small under his gaze, like a bug. "Your parents were really bad people Sakura."

Sakura choked on her tears and grabbed her arms, holding herself together, feeling each and every scar on her body light up with the memory of it's affliction. "Don't you think I know that? I know that better than you do."

"Then do you think they deserved to live?"

She buried her head in her knees, letting her tears fall. "That isn't something for us to decide. You shouldn't have killed them..."

"If I didn't they just would have continued to do those bad things to other people and to you. Don't think I don't know about that. I knew they had a daughter they abused, but I didn't know it was you. I never planned for you to get hurt that night. I regret scaring you, I regret it every day."

After he said that there was a stillborn silence that ate up the room around them. In the background she could hear Naruto curse at Kiba and she could hear her uncle and Gaara shout at the boys to either shut up or get different pieces of furniture. She could even hear Kakuzu, even though he wasn't shouting.

"Why did you do it?"

He didn't answer at first. "Your mom did something bad to my little brother...and then your dad dumped him off in a canal. When the police found his body he was stone cold. I couldn't let them get away with that, Sakura, least they do it again, because I know they would."

She knew well enough what her mother did to cute and pretty boys in the basement who just so happened to be half her age as well as legally underaged. The screams and moans were hard to ignore some nights.

Sakura wiped her eyes and nodded, looking up at Hidan who seemed so pained. "I...I don't blame you. I'm sorry about what happened to your brother."

"Most are....So....Are you going to tell on me."

She shook her head and felt her hair hit either side of her face. "No, that wouldn't do any good and like I said, I don't blame you."

Hidan smiled and looked down at the spilled contents of the ripped open box and picked up something, dusting it off so that he could see the cover. "Here, I think this is yours. You were looking for your books, weren't you?"

She nodded and accepted the weathered copy of Comedy of Errors.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

-

Let's go hand in hand, not one before another.  
**Dromio of Ephesus,** scene i

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My eyes really hurt. Next chapter is the last as well as the graduation. I hope to have this finished soon. But yeah, go ahead and guess who the final pairing will be.

_**PLEASE REVIEW**_

Vesperchan


	12. Romeo and Juliet

**Disclaimer**/ No, I do not own Naruto and I never will. Go ahead and be mean about it. If I owned Naruto, you would know about it.

**AN**/I think I should just warn you now. All of these Sakura pairings are going to be pretty high up there on the crack scale. I really love crack. Sue me. A good dosage of Sakura crack is good for you. I'm sure of it.

**Dedication**:...

Please review, flames are ...I do not care.

-

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**Romeo and Juliet**

-

-

O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,  
That monthly changes in her circled orb,  
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

**Juliet,** scene ii

-

The day had finally come for Sakura. After four years of torture surrounded by walls of white, the end had finally arrived for her, accompanied of course by more than one scholarship to the college of her choice. Today she was finally graduating. Somewhere in the background she could hear the old stereo that was bigger than most computers singing the 'Celebrate good time come on!' song she could remember the title of.

It was early in the morning for her, but bother her Aunt and uncle were dictionary definition of early birds, rising with the sun and setting with it each and every night. It had not taken her long to adapt to their ways, since she was used to getting up before her parents all the time.

It was close to six and she had just finished showering and was currently busy brushing out her hair while dancing to the music and occasionally switching out her brush for a microphone. She was real exited for today and was planning on doing her hair in low pigtails with large curls to watch the rosy pink lip gloss she had bought with her aunt last week. Shopping with another woman for something that certainly wasn't needed was a strange event, but it was so darn fun she couldn't help but enjoy it and wish for it to happen again, even if it wasn't books.

"Sakura, you done?" her aunt called up.

"Almost!"

"Pancakes are almost finished, hurry up and get dressed so you can eat before your uncle drives you to school!"

Sakura quietly cheered before running to her closet to claim the outfit she had picked out weeks before, singing a new song all the way."I got a feeling...that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good, good night...wooohooo...."

Yoko sighed, smiling to herself while flipping the last of her blueberry and banana pancakes. They were the kind Sakura loved the most, more than the other flavors at least. Today was a big day for the family of three and it was an odd thing for anything to be big under the older woman's roof.

Yoko had though after being unable to have children she would never get to experience any of the joys of motherhood, and yet here she was, cooking for a graduation breakfast. True, she had missed so much of Sakura's life already, but for someone who had given up hope like she, graduation was a huge blessing. And then it did not hurt that Sakura was already so childlike and polite and kind and all around _perfect_.

"I'll never know how such a child survived so beautifully in a world so... " she mused, letting her thoughts pick up where her words left off. There was no need for her to say anything about the enviorment her niec had left prior the accident.

"Aunt Yoko, Aunt Yoko, look at my dress!" Sakura laughed, coming down the stairs two at a time.

"You're a little wild for someone who is heading off to collage, don't you think? How old are you, three?"

Sakura blushed, but smiled all the same. "Forgive me, Aunt Yoko, I was being loud."

"Don't worry about that. Your uncle has long since been awake."

Sakura nodded and took a step into the kitchen, loving the smell of everything. "I wasn't thinking so much about Uncle as I was the neighbors. They'll most likely complain about the noise so early in the morning. Not many people are up at this hour."

Aunt yoko frowned. "Oh, without a doubt, the old buggers. Let them whine, see if I care."

Wordlessly, Sakura pulled out the Blue Willow dishes from the cabinets and began setting the table for breakfast. it wasn't something she was ever told to do, but something she had picked up on her own because she loved her new family and wanted to help them.

She was just finishing with the glasses when her uncle came down from upstairs. Something about his frowning face made Sakura uneasy. Her aunt saw it took and stopped what she was doing to ask him about it.

"Baby, what's the matter?"

He gave her a tired look before replying. "Well, we got two things the matter here. One...lookie here at how pretty Sakura looks. Come her Sakura let me get a gander at that fine dress of yours." he held out his hands and Sakura came over, spinning in her pastel pink, halter top dress with a creamy white bow in back. It was simple, coming down to just above her knees.

"What's wrong with her dress?" Yoko asked.

"The boy outside her window is what's wrong with her dress. I caught him loitering around on the sidewalk like a love sick puppy. You want me sending out such a fine doll to a stalker like him?"

"Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, the blond one."

Sakura turned towards her aunt with wide eyes and folded her hands under her face. "Can he stay for breakfast with us, _pleaeeeeeeese_?"

"Go and call him in." Yoko said, already setting an extra plate for their guest. Sakura cheered in joy before skipping to the front door to call her friend in. Her uncle turned towards the garage to get his shotgun, planning on cleaning it in front of the boy. There wouldn't be any harm in that.

"Baby, put that dirty thing back in the garage!"

"But I need this to-."

"Garage, _now_."

Sakura didn't know what it was, but something had happened between her uncle and her blond friend the last time they were together, helping unload furniture into the house. She hadn't been around them at the time, so she had a pretty vague idea of what Naruto said to set her Uncle off. As far as she knew there were very few things that would upset her uncle so much.

-

There's no trust,  
No faith, no honesty in men; all are perjur'd  
All foresworn, all naught, all dissemblers.  
**Nurse,** scene ii

-

Sakura was with a few of the guys (Naruto, Kiba, Gaara) later that day waiting out by the vending machines in their gowns and caps when she was approached by a taller gentleman in a expensive looking pinstripe suite. There was another man beside him also dressed formally whom Sakura recognized right away.

"Hello Shisui," she greeted with a bright smile and a wave.

"Hello there, Sakura. You look so bright and happy today. Could that have anything to do with graduating?"

She laughed. Weren't you happy when you graduated, Shisui?"

"Oh no, not at all. Everyone was twelve years older than me and so much taller because I skipped so many grades, so I was in utter agony throughout the whole ceremony. That and I tripped on my gown every time I tried to walk." It took a while for Sakura to get that her friend was joking with her and not actually serious about graduating twelve years younger than everyone else, but when she did, she laughed.

Shisui felt something in his ribs and saw Itachi's elbow. The younger Uchiha sent the older a look and Shisui sobered up. "Ah, where are my manners, Sakura I want you to meet my younger cousin. This is Itachi, Itachi this is Sakura, the girl I was telling you about."

Itachi, a few inches shorter than his older cousin extended his hand and shook with Sakura, keeping his face even and unmoving. Even as he talked, it was as if his lips shifted positions rather than moved. There seemed to be something unearthly about Itachi Uchiha that chilled Sakura.

"It is a please ure to meet you, Haruno Sakura."

"YOu as well Uchiha Itachi."

"Mm, yeah and now that we are done with introductions there is the reason we came over to see you in the first place. Can you come with us for a moment Sakura."

Shisui looked behind her and smiled nervously at the look the redhead was sending his way Naruto and Kiba looked okay with the introduction but Gaara just looked pissed....then again, maybe that was the way his face always looked like. Shisu doubted the red head saw the two Uchiha as a threat to his relationship with Sakura, they had both taken too many precautions to appear distant when in reality they were very much involved in her life.

Itachi seemed to sigh without moving as he spoke up to bluntly communicate his purpose for being there. "The Uchiha is a special branch of the police force and as operatives we both would like a word with you regarding the incident with your parents. Would you please accompany us to a reserved room?" Both he and Shisui pulled out badges to make it official.

Naruto and Kiba stiffened from behind Sakura and even Gaara changed in his appearance towards her. The incident with her parents was still one fairly recent in her history so they all assumed it was tough for her to deal with. None of them really knew what her mother and father were like and how those two acted towards Sakura.

"Oh...Of-of course..." Sakura said, looking down, her stutter coming back.

Gaara reached out to take her hand and it looked like he meant to walk with her but Itachi spoke up. "Only Haruno, please. This is a privet matter."

Sakura took Gaara's hand and gave it a squeeze and smiled. "It's okay Gaara, I'll be fine. Wait for me?"

She didn't need an answer, since they all knew he would wait for her along with Naruto and Kiba.

True to their word, Itachi and Shisui had a teacher's room set up for them with a table and chairs and everything. Sakura felt uneasy at first when she heard the door close and noticed that all the windows were too high to jump out of, but Shisui patter her shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly.

"Do you want something to drink, Sakura? I should have asked you when we were at the machine, stupid me."

"No...I-I had some fruite punch earlier and my aunt has Gatorade for me when I'm done."

Shisui nodded, walking behind her to pull out a chair from the table. "Okay then, here have seat and we can get started." Itachi was already seated and waiting, a folder the color of metal in his hands with a band wrapped twice to keep it shut. He made a noise in his throat and Shisui quickly moved around to the other side of the table and sat down, pulling out his own notes from a back pocket.

Itachi opened his envelope and pulled out some papers for Sakura and turned them around so she could see the pictures. She froze, recognizing a good deal of them. Deidara, Sasori, Kisame and Kakuzu as well as Hidan. Did they know about Hidan being the one who killed her parents? She folded her hands underneath the table and squeezed them tight. "Wh-what....what's all this?"

"These are all members of an organization known as The dawn, in school you knew them as the Akatsuki. The organization is a shadowed branch of the police force, operating under the law for a less ...pleasant form of justice. We had not planned to inform you of any of this until one of operatives, Hidan, let it slip that he was the one who dealt with your parents."

Sakura looked up at Itachi quickly, her eyes wide. "What? But his...he said his brother..."

Itachi nodded. "That is true. Hidan had an emotional attachment to his case, but he would not have acted upon it had he not been given the permission. He expresses regret for the trauma you suffered during the actual incident."

"Y-yeah...he said that already," Sakura said, looking down and feeling her heart pitch and jolt in uneaven beats. "B-but nothing about a...a plan or operation or others like him."

Shisui frowned, feeling bad for the green eyed girl. She wasn't believing it all just yet. "Sakura...hey, don't you not think it odd that the investigation of your case was more severe? No one really questioned you even though you say the killer before falling down. That's because of us."

"..."

Shisui felt really bad now. "Sakura, I'm so sorry for what happened to you and your family, but we couldn't let it go on any longer. Too many people were suffering, you worst of all. You probally think we're all bad guys, neh?"

Sakura didn't say anything but she reached up and picked up a piece of paper that had Hidan'ts bio on it. She skimmed most of it but saw under his age a section on relatives. That's where it was printed the name of his brother before big black letters spelling _**Deceased**_. She frowned and dropped the paper, feeling terrible.

"Why do you want me to know all of this? What good will it do."

This time Itachi answered. "There are two reasons. One, the organization wished to reward you for your troubles by paying for all your college needs. We don't do this for many people, but a few of our members had close personal ties to yourself and wished for it." Itachi pulled out a check and pushed it across the table, shocking Sakura with the huge amount. More zeros than she had ever seen before in her whole life were there on that little slip of paper. That was way too much even for collage.

Itachi continued. "The other is because of Hidan revealing the secret. We wanted to make sure you were well enough to keep his actions to yourself. It would be no less than disastrous if our actions were to be brought to light, you can understand."

Sakura looked up quick. "Wait-what? You just want me to stay quiet about what I know?"

"Precisely."

Sakura let go of the check she had picked up and pushed it back away from herself. Both males looked surprised. "I don't want this if that's what your after. I'll stay quiet on my own because I want to, not because someone stuffed my mouth full of dough. I don't blame Hidan for what he did and I don't want to be given money in place of my dead parents. If anything I should be paying you guys. It's like you said. My life wasn't peaces and roses with them around and I've healthier and stronger and happier than I've ever been before. I can't take this money even if it is for college, I just can't."

"But Sakura, we're not doing this 'cause we have to, it's 'cause we want to. Itachi already said it. We don't do this for just anyone, but we are doing this for you because we want to," Shisui quickly exclaimed, not happy with her refusal.

"I'm sorry, but I still can't accept it."

"But Sakura-"

"_Shisui_."Itachi cut in, ending his cousin's words with only one of his own. He then turned towards Sakura and began to speak. "If you will not take the money that is well enough, however there is still one more matter we need to address."

"And that is?"

"You were aware that your parents were involved in multiple organizations of less that lawful standards, were you not? Most prominently ones that dealt with high grade drug trafficking. Without them around the business will be hurting."

Sakura looked away. "I had an idea."

Shisui looked over at Itachi and without moving his head, Itachi caught that look out of the corner of his eye. "Sakura, without your parents many of their former clients as well as their sellers will be after the only connection they can find to their dealers. They will be after you. Do you understand?"

If her heart wasn't abused enough it stalled for a moment. "What..."

"If you won't take our money, at least accept a full scholarship to the university we in part own. At least from there we will be able to keep an eye on you and keep you away from the dangers promised by your parent's friends."

Sakura tried standing up but Shisui reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it and keeping her from running out. She wanted to break off his grip but something about his expression stopped her. Shaking like a leaf, she fell back into her seat and bowed her head. What would happened to her aunt and uncle now if what these guys said was true? What would happen to _her_?

"Shisui, get her something to drink. Preferably something warm."

"But what about-"

"_Now_, please."

Frowning at the tone, the older Uchiha got up and left, lingering in the doorway with worried eyes aimed in Sakura's direction. After Shisui left it was just Itachi, Sakura and absolute silence...the worst kid of company there is. (No comparison what so ever.)

Feeling uncomfortable with someone so straight-laced Sakura tried to hide her face and will time to pass faster, but if anything time slowed to an impossible pace. It had only been eight seconds since Shisui left and yet it felt like five minutes. She didn't know how but, somehow she had started to cry. Not the sobbing, 'don't leave me at the train station!' type of crying, but the 'oh I left the sink on and now it's dripping' kind.

She thought she would just wait with her head in her hands and her bangs in her face and never talk to Itachi until Shisui got back, but the sudden scraping of chair legs against the floor brought her attention upwards. Itachi was standing, his hands in midair, looking as if he had frozen in the middle of something, his expression less calm than before. He twitched and moved a little bit towards her and then pulled away....they moved towards her again. He looked troubled about something.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

He blinked, letting his hands drop to his sides and a blank look took over his features once again. "It's nothing...just...don't..." He blinked again, searching for the word. He reached out and touched her head, patting it like he used to with his younger brother. "...Cry."

Sakura opened her mouth, reached up to feel her eyes without glasses and found that indeed they were wet. "O-oh sorry, that's nothing."

Dropping his hand, Itachi parted his lips to say something more but Shisui came flying thorough the door with an over priced European sounding coffee from Starbucks. "I'm back and look at who I found on the way over!" he said, pulling Sasori through the door, ignoring the glare he was getting from the red head.

"What is Sasori doing here?" Itachi asked, his voice flat.

"Oh he wasn't at the school, I found him in the Starbucks and dragged him all the way here," the oldest Uchiha claimed, lying through his teeth. He had actually found the red head snooping around the halls and trying to listen in on their conversation with Sakura. He, after all, was one of the members that wanted her to accept that huge check they were offering. Actually, Kakuzu was the only one who opposed it...

"That's fine, we were done here and they are planning on having the diploma ceremony in a few minuets anyway. Sakura should be going, hand over the coffee and say goodbye Shisui, we're leaving."

"But I thought we were staying to see Sasuke off."

"We are, hand over the coffee so we can get our seats."

Shisui frowned seeing something different in his cousin, but did as he was told, promising to talk again with her once they were done with everything. In the end he had to be dragged out by his pants by Itachi who looked oddly annoyed.

Blinking Sakura looked up at Sasori who was having a hard time looking her in the eye, or in her general direction for a matter of fact. "So..." he began. "You're graduating, huh?"

-

Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day.  
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,  
That pierc'd the fearful hollow of thine ear;  
Nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree.  
Believe me love, it was the nightingale.  
**Juliet,** scene v

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"Oh my God, I never though I would see the day," Yoko cried on Sakura's shoulder, overly emotional from the whole process. "I'm just about to fall apart, dear. This is all too much for me here. I can't believe it all."

"Aunt Yoko, calm down, it's all over. There's no more need to be emotional," Sakura laughed.

"She's right, dear. It's over so stop your sobbing. Why are women so darn emotional all the time?"

Yoko just hit her husband with her purse before falling into his arms to cry some more. Her uncle made a face, but hugged his wife, a knowing look in his eyes. He was still holding onto the bag Juugo had left for Sakura before his new job started. It was a expensive leather bound edition of Romeo and Juliet. There was even a letter from Suigetsu congratulating her.

A few of her friends were gathered to the side so Sakura excused herself to go and speak with them. Naruto was kissing his diploma, crying about how he never though he would get one and Kiba was having a similar reaction. Aside from those two and Gaara, Neji, Haku, and Kimimaro were back to congratulate their younger friends. At some point even Shikamaru turned up to ask Sakura if she was free later to come over and play some games with his parents.

"So what are you going to do after this?"

"I don't know where are you going?"

"Collage, where else."

"Which one."

"Die Morgenröte."

"What, me too,"

"I thought it was only me."

"When did you get accepted as well."

"Neji, Haku and I are already there."

Sakura frowned, listening to all the guys talk about this collage they were going to with confusion. Why did it sound so familiar?"

The voices stilled all around her and Sakura stiffened, feeling the shadow tower over her. She turned and saw Itachi standing behind her. Shisui was not with him and Sakura could see under Itachi arm the older cousin giving Sasuke a noogie a little ways off in front of the boy's parents. She sort of felt sorry for Sasuke, but couldn't help but smile at the funny sight. The school ice prince was getting _owned_ like a newborn babe.

"Sakura, I forgot to leave some of the material with you." Itachi said. "This is in regards to your scholarship. If you have any more questions contact the number at the bottom. It's a particular line that is sure to always be open for you."

Sakura looked at the pamphlet and felt her cheeks light up and her lips stretch in a grin.

She was going to Die Morgenröte!

-

A glooming peace this morning with it brings;  
The sun for sorrow will not show his head.  
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;**  
**Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:  
For never was a story of more woe  
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.**  
****Prince,** scene iii

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_Bwahahahah it's over, done, finished, dead, bwahahaha! _Now I can fall over dead and be done. I'm happy to have completed this, but at the same time, I'm sad to see this gone. I really liked this story and it was one of the easier ones to see through. I had an ending in mind and prompts for every chapter. So yeah, I loved this story and I am sorry to see it go, but I'm still quite happy with the end.

_**PLEASE REVIEW**_

Vesperchan


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